Morbidity in azotemia and mortality in uremia.

A retrospective investigation in Göteborg of the morbidity in moderate azotemia and the so‐called calculated mortality in uremia, i.e. patients who actually died in uremia plus actively treated patients in 1966–68, comprising the age group 16–75, indicates a decrease in morbidity as well as in the calculated mortality. The incidence of morbidity in azotemia is 10.3 cases/year in the age group 16–65 and correlated to 100 000 inhabitants. The decrease (from 11.5 in 1966 to 8.8 in 1968) of azotemia is clear in the same age group and correlated to the population. In the pyelonephritic group the decreasing tendency is most pronounced and seems to correlate with the decreasing frequency of analgesic abuse from 55% of the case histories in 1966 to 38% in 1968. The calculated mortality rate in uremia is 8.7 cases/year correlated to the population and age of 16–65 years. The present figures show a decrease compared with an earlier investigation of chronic uremic mortality in Göteborg. The decrease (from 10.4 in 1966 to 7.4 in 1968) in the calculated mortality is mainly due to decreasing figures of the pyelonephritic calculated mortality. Diminishing figures are also found for glomerulonephritic mortality. Some speculative explanations are discussed. Only 39% of the uremic patients included in the figures of calculated mortality were actively treated with dialysis or renal transplantation. Nearly half of the patients who actually died in uremia were suitable for active treatment, according to current criteria, but for different reasons could not receive this treatment at that time.