Renal replacement therapy in Bosnia and Herzegovina: report of the Society of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Renal replacement therapy (RRT) had been established in Bosnia and Herzegovina before the war in 1992–1995. During the war, the activity of the dialysis centres could only continue because of donations of supply provided by Medicine Du Monde and the European Union [1]. Since 1997, the expenses of dialysis treatment are again met by the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1997, the Society of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation of Bosnia Herzegovina was founded and continues to receive organizational and financial help from Medicine Du Monde. In 1999, the society founded the renal registry of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Complete data reporting was achieved in 2001, covering all 20 dialysis centres in Bosnia Herzegovina, with a return rate of 100%. In the following, we report some of the data concerning this part of Europe, which continues to struggle with political and economical difficulties. The data were obtained using a questionnaire and covering the years 2000 and 2001. We asked for details concerning the centre (premises, equipment, number of staff, type of water treatment), the number and characteristics of patients (age, gender, primary renal disease, type of renal replacement therapy, mortality, transplantation). We respected the ‘rule of 90 days’, i.e. we included only patients who had been on dialysis treatment for more than 3 months [2]. Incidence and prevalence