Expenses of the Brazilian Public Healthcare System with chronic kidney disease

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing worldwide, with costs that can be impeditive. OBJECTIVE: To establish the expenses of the Brazilian Public Healthcare System (SUS), with hospitalizations due to CKD and related diseases; evaluating expenses with renal replacement therapy (RRT). METHODS: We have assessed the values paid by the SUS in the triennium 2013-2015, for estimating annual expenses with CKD treatment and hospitalization, associated diseases, and exams. RESULTS: There was an increase in hospitalization by all causes in Brazil during this triennium. CKD and associated diseases corresponded to 1.82% and 5.79% of hospitalizations due to all causes in Brazil, and 2.87% and 10.10% of all expenses, respectively. Kidney grafts from deceased donors corresponded to 76% of hospitalizations and 80% of expenses with transplantation. There was a decrease in transplantation from living donors. There was an increase in the number of exams of 11.94% and of 10.95% in the expenses. There was a decrease in the number of procedures and expenses in intermittent peritoneal dialysis (IPD) and related procedures; but other procedures increased. Hemodialysis (3 weekly sessions) corresponded to 95.96% of procedures and 96.07% of expenses with dialysis in general. CONCLUSION: Renal diseases and some of the main related diseases corresponded to 12.97% of the expenses in the triennium 2013-2015, and RRT to more than 5% of the SUS expenses with medium and high complexity healthcare. Such high expenses determine great concerns on the future maintenance of treatment for stage-5 CKD in Brazil and countries in similar or worse conditions of development.