Renal database.

THE launching of the Pakistan Renal Data System by the Pakistan Society of Nephrology is a milestone in our attempts to assess the prevalence of chronic kidney diseases in the country. With this registry, clinical information will be collected from private and public hospitals across the country to make it easier for researchers and medical practitioners to spot and identify the causes of renal failure. It will also enable them to review patient demographics, and enhance the scope of local and clinical research on the subject. For many developing countries, including Pakistan, the challenge in countering various illnesses often stems from the lack of locally available clinical information due to which health practitioners have to rely on international databases that often overlook region-specific dimensions of an endemic disease. According to the Pakistan Medical Association, around 20,000 people die of kidney problems every year in Pakistan. With about 20m affected individuals, the country is said to rank eighth in the world with regard to the prevalence of chronic renal ailments. Besides helping improve research, this registry will also help...