Rev. Nefrol. Dial. Traspl. 2024;44(3):117-119
World Congress of Nephrology 2024
Congreso Mundial de Nefrología 2024
Masaomi Nangaku1
1) President, International Society of Nephrology
It is with great pleasure that I reflect on the World Congress of Nephrology 2024 (WCN'24), which took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in April. This premier event is a key platform for increasing scientific knowledge and fostering collaboration to enhance our collective efforts to advance global kidney care and improve patient outcomes.
More than 4,500 delegates from 121 countries attended four extraordinary days of learning, networking, and innovation. A total of 1576 groundbreaking abstracts were accepted, 867 posters were on display, and 252 top-tier speakers from around the globe presented a diverse scientific program translated into 30 languages simultaneously using artificial intelligence.
In addition, several exciting ISN resources and initiatives were presented, including:
• The YNC Toolkit on setting up young nephrologist committees
• The SharE-RR Toolkit on establishing renal registries
• A landmark joint ASN-ERA-ISN international consensus statement on chronic kidney disease published in Nature Reviews Nephrology
• Findings on global kidney care capacity from the 2023 ISN-Global Kidney Health Atlas
It was an honor to work alongside members of the local organizing group (LOWG), regional ambassadors, and other members of the host organizations – the Argentinian Society of Nephrology (SAN) and the Latin American Society of Nephrology and Hypertension (SLANH). Their dedication as hosts to ensure this remarkable event's success has set the stage to elevate kidney care to new heights in Latin America and globally.
SAN members were very active on social media platforms, increasing the reach and engagement of the event. I would particularly like to thank Hernan Trimarchi (Argentina), Scientific Program Working Group WCN'24 deputy chair; Guillermo Rosa Diez (Argentina), LOWG chair; Jorge Rico Fontalvo (Colombia), LOWG deputy chair and SLANH president; and other LOWG members, including Marina Papaginovic-Leiva (Argentina; SAN president), Carlos Alberto Bonnano (Argentina; SAN past-president) and Guillermo Alvarez (Dominican Republic; SLANH past- president). Notably, Doctors Diez and Papaginovic-Leiva significantly contributed to the seamless execution of the congress, tirelessly promoting the event and helping to attract a considerable quantity of abstract submissions and exceptional attendance from their compatriots.
1390 delegates from Argentina attended WCN’24, including 177 SAN members. Argentina submitted 140 abstracts, making it one of the top five countries for submissions. Additionally, 122 poster presenters were from Argentina.
Latin American contributors to the WCN'24 program presented diverse and valuable topics, from local peritoneal dialysis practices to preventing transplant tourism in Argentina. While unable to mention every such contribution in this editorial, I would like to share some highlights that emphasize their important involvement and achievements within the international kidney care community.
Several sessions explored challenges and advances in the Latin American kidney care landscape:
A dedicated session on the ISN initiative "Sharing Expertise to Support the Set-up of Renal Registries" presented valuable lessons on establishing kidney registries in Latin America. This success was notably achieved through SLANH's efforts to persuade the Pan-American Health Organization of the critical importance of collating such data. SLANH member Maria Gonzalez (Uruguay) presented a history of renal registries in Latin America, and Guillermo Rosa Diez focused on renal registries in Argentina. Updates on registries in Uruguay, Colombia, and Costa Rica were presented in Part II of the session.
The Professor Donal O'Donoghue Global Kidney Policy Forum addressed the state of kidney care in Latin America based on the most recent data with an emphasis on Argentina. We were honored to hear from the Argentinian Health Minister, Leonardo Oscar Busso, who presented aspects of Argentina's healthcare landscape. Central to all our endeavours in advancing kidney care is the lived experience of people with kidney disease. We were delighted to hear perspectives on the importance of accessibility in kidney health in this session from patient representative Marianella Sierra Canales.
SLANH member Ramon Garcia Trabanino (El Salvador) focused his presentation on accessibility to chronic kidney disease of unknown origin (CKDu) diagnosis, while Maria Gonzalez updated delegates on dialysis and renal transplantation registries in Latin America. Guillermo Rosa Diez and Maria Eugenia Victoria Bianchi (Argentina – SAN member) informed participants of the challenges faced by people on dialysis without a diagnosis in the Argentinian registry and cardiovascular and renal risk factors in Argentinian First Nations groups, respectively. Alejandro Ferreiro Fuentes (Uruguay) and Alfonso Martin Cueto Manzano (Mexico) addressed accessibility issues in kidney care in Argentina. Delegates heard more about CKDu from SLANH member Jose Vicente Sanchez Polo (Guatemala). In the CKDu session, he presented an overview and discussed hotspots, risk factors, and treatment options in Latin America.
A fascinating session on disparities in the care of people living with kidney failure in Latin America used findings from the 2023 ISN-Global Kidney Health Atlas. We gained real insight into international differences in managing kidney failure in children and the current status of kidney failure programs in Latin America. We heard from Magdalena Madero (Mexico) on the state of CKD in Latin America, and Marina Wainstein (Australia) focused on differences in outcomes between children and adults with kidney failure in the region.
The ISN Young Nephrologists Committee presented "AKI and Critical Care Nephrology in Latin America," featuring a roundtable discussion on the challenges of developing and implementing sustainable critical care nephrology programs in the region. The session covered ongoing initiatives to address gaps and opportunities, emphasizing challenges in low-resource settings and the impact of young nephrologists in the development and sustainability of critical care nephrology programs.
Delegates also learned about the global impacts of the ISN Sister Renal Centres and ISN-TTS Sister Transplant Centres Programs, including hearing from Pablo Martin Jimenez (Argentina) from Hospital Marcial Vicente Quiroga about the SRC partnership between his hospital and another healthcare center in Argentina, Sanatorio Allende.
Congress participants selected two South Americans as finalists in the ISN Community Film Event. Andrea Caicedo (Colombia) submitted "An Act of Love, the First Kidney Transplant with a Living Donor in the History of Medicine in Nariño," a moving account of a sister donating her kidney to her brother to avoid frequent dialysis. The film won the 2024 World Kidney Day Best Film Award. Randall Lou Meda's (Guatemala) film "Making it Possible" presented the positive evolution of pediatric kidney care at the Guatemalan Foundation for Children with Kidney Diseases (FUNDANIER).
The congress significantly forged stronger connections between ISN members and colleagues in Latin America and their international counterparts. These strengthened ties will enable us to address regional challenges more effectively and set a solid foundation for future progress and innovation to advance kidney care on a global scale.