Rate of kidney disease up dramatically

The estimated number of American adults living with chronic kidney disease has increased from 20 million to 26 million people. That means the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is up by 30%, from 10% of the US population (1988-1994) to 13.1% (1999-2004). The data from 1988-1994 was the source of the statistic that 20 million American adults have CKD. Most of the 26 million people affected are completely unaware of their condition, according to a new study published November 6, 2007 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The National Kidney Foundation has an article available on their website that gives an overview of the findings. Below are some highlights:

“Our study demonstrates chronic kidney disease in the United States is more common than previously appreciated. However, less than 1 in 10 individuals with kidney disease is aware they have a problem,” said Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. “The medical community is starting to realize that chronic kidney disease is a serious concern, similar to the increased awareness of hypertension in the 1970s and diabetes in the 1990s.”

“We at the National Kidney Foundation interpret this increase in the rate of CKD as a call to action for doctors, people most at risk, and their families,” says Allan J. Collins, MD, FACP, President, National Kidney Foundation.

"The low level of awareness of CKD is challenging the National Kidney Foundation to reach out to individuals with diabetes and high blood pressure, who are at increased risk,” says Joseph A. Vassalotti, MD, Chief Medical Officer, National Kidney Foundation

“Americans and their physicians should be aware that chronic kidney disease is common, has treatable components, and its progression can be slowed substantially. Blood pressure control with agents that protect the kidney, blood sugar control, and avoiding medications toxic to the kidneys are the most important factors for patients with kidney disease to be educated about,” said study co-author Andrew S. Levey, MD, Chief of Nephrology at Tufts-New England Medical Center and Work Group Chair of the NKF's KDOQI Clinical Practice Guidelines for Chronic Kidney Disease: Evaluation, Classification, and Stratification.

Read the full news article on the National Kidney Foundation website.

For more information on kidney disease visit www.kidney.org/kidneyDisease