Abstract: To analyze the demographic trends and primary disease changes in incident maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients in Beijing area. Methods We retrospectively review all the incident MHD patients registered in the Beijing Hemodialysis Quality Control and Improvement Center (BJHDQCIC) from 2007 to 2012. Their demographics and primary causes are investigated. Stratified analyses based on year, sex, age and other factors are conducted. Results There are totally 14,945 patents (8,397 males and 6,548 females; males : females = 1.3:1). The average age is 56.2±17.1 years for the 13,571 patients whose ages were registered. The average age is 54.4 years for males and is 58.5 years for females. The top primary disease for incident MHD patients is diabetes, followed by chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN), hypertension, interstitial nephritis and polycystic kidney disease. The change from CGN to diabetes as the most common cause for MHD in male and female patients occurs in 2009 and 2010 respectively. The average age for incident MHD patients is increasing. Older patients over 40 years of age account for 81.8% of the new MHD patients. The constituent of primary diseases varies with age. CGN is the main cause and accounts for 33.9% in patients less than 50 years old, while diabetes is the leading cause and accounts for 31.6% in those over 50 years old. Conclusion The average age for incident MHD patients is gradually increasing. Older patients over 40 years of age account for the main body of new MHD patients. Males have higher MHD incidence and earlier age to enter MHD than females. The leading cause in MHD patients less than 50 years old is CGN, while that in patients more than 50 years old is diabetes. Diabetes has replaced CGN as the leading cause of incident MHD patients in Beijing area.

Key words: maintenance hemodialysis, incidence, demographics, primary disease, renal data register system