What is already known about this topic and why is it important?

Previous studies of UK Renal Registry data have shown differences in access to dialysis and transplantation treatments between White, South Asian, and Black patients, but the characteristics and outcomes for UK Chinese people with kidney failure have not been described.

How will you carry out your study?

We will describe the characteristics of UK Chinese patients with kidney failure, including age, sex, cause of kidney failure, and kidney function at start of dialysis treatment. We will describe the proportion of UK Chinese patients on haemodialysis, on peritoneal dialysis, and with a functioning deceased-donor or living-donor kidney transplant. We will then compare characteristics and treatments for the UK Chinese population to the White patient population, to see if there are any important differences or similarities. For example, we will see whether Chinese people with kidney failure are less likely to receive a kidney transplant than people in the White population. We will compare groups with simple cross-tabulations and then with more advanced statistical models.

How will you decide which patients are included in your study?

We will include data on all adult patients who started renal replacement therapy between 1st January 1997 and 31st December 2016. This will include all people on dialysis and those with a functioning kidney transplant.

How many patients do you anticipate including?

According to the UK Renal Registry’s 20th Annual report, as of 31st December 2016, just over 63,000 adults were receiving renal replacement therapy in the UK. This includes 809 UK Chinese patients.

For how long will you follow up these patients?

There will be no follow up for this study.

What new information will your study generate and how will this benefit patients?

This study will describe for the first time the characteristics of the UK Chinese renal patient population. It will help healthcare professionals, researchers and patients better understand the causes and consequences of kidney disease in the UK Chinese population and will investigate whether there is evidence of inequality in access to treatments for people in this group. This will help to better shape interventions in this group, as well as add to the work the UK Renal Registry is doing looking at fair and equal access to treatment for people from all ethnic groups.