Kidney diseases are common and affect more than 10% of the population, in particular patients suffering from diabetes or hypertension. They often go undetected due to a lack of symptoms and are often advanced at the time of diagnosis despite a number of simple tests available for early detection. Most patients are unaware of their kidney disease. Undiagnosed and untreated, kidney disease can progress into kidney failure or lead to cardiovascular complications such as heart attacks.

Our scientific focus is on the outcomes of patients undergoing kidney replacement therapies, including hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and kidney transplantation. For this purpose, a cohort of patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) who were about to begin kidney replacement therapy was recruited at the Department of Nephrology and Dialysis at the Academic Teaching Hospital Feldkirch. Extensive baseline data were collected, and the patients were followed prospectively over many years. This longitudinal approach has provided valuable insights into the progression of ESKD and the long-term effects of different kidney replacement therapies.