National Kidney Month is March: Prevalence of Kidney Disease

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The ultimate goal and mission of the National Kidney Foundation is the eradication of diseases of the kidney and urinary tract, which are among the costliest illnesses in the U.S. today. Here are eleven other facts everyone should know:

1. More than 26 million Americans over age 20 have chronic kidney disease. This number represents approx 13% of the adult population. Millions more are at increased risk for developing kidney disease, and most don’t even know it.1

2. At the end of 2007, there were 485,000 Americans receiving treatment for kidney failure (also called end stage renal disease, or ESRD). This included 341,000 dialysis patients and 136,000 with a functioning kidney transplant. Each year, more than 70,000 Americans die from causes related to kidney failure.2

3. Every month, the number of Americans waiting for kidney transplants increases. Approximately 76,604 patients are awaiting kidney transplants and more than 2,373 are waiting for kidney-pancreas transplants.3 A new name is added to the waiting list every 12 minutes.4 Eighteen people die while waiting each day. More donors are urgently needed.

4. Chronic kidney disease has a disproportionate impact on minority populations, especially African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and American Indians. In 2005, the rates per million population for new cases of kidney failure (ESRD) for different population groups were: 991 for African Americans; 516 for American Indians, 355 for Asian Americans and 485 for Hispanic Americans compared with 268 for white Americans.2

5. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure. In 2003, it accounted for about 45 percent of the new cases and about 36 percent of all cases of kidney failure in the U.S.5

6. Uncontrolled or poorly controlled high blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure in the U.S. In 2002, it accounted for 27 percent of the new cases and about 23 percent of all cases of kidney failure in the U.S.

7. The third and fourth leading causes of kidney failure in the U.S. are glomerulonephritis, an inflammatory disease of the kidneys, and polycystic kidney disease. In 2002, these disorders accounted for 8.2 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively, of the new cases of kidney failure in the U.S.


8. Kidney and urologic diseases continue to be major causes of lost productivity, physician visits, and hospitalizations among men and women. Each year, kidney stones result in
more than one million physician office visits and nearly 177,496 hospitalizations at a cost of $2.07 billion.5

9. Urinary tract infections result in nearly 11 million office visits annually and 367,246 hospitalizations. About 53 percent of women report suffering from UTIs annually.5

10. A major problem in men is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or enlargement of the prostate gland, affecting more than 33 percent of men aged 50 to 59, and 44 percent of men over 70. 5 An even more widespread problem among men is erectile dysfunction, or impotence, which affects 20-60 percent of men in the U.S. between 40 and 60 years of age. 5

11. Since 1950, the incidence rates have increased steadily for kidney, prostate and testicular cancer. Prostate cancer is a leading cause of death in men 65 and older in whom 70% of all cases occur. It is the 7th leading cause of death overall among men in the United States. In 2002, 190,096 men developed prostate cancer, and 30,446 died of it. African American men, and men with a family history of prostate cancer are the two groups at greatest risk for prostate cancer – over age 50.6

Since diseases of the kidney and urinary tract remain a major cause of illness and death in the U.S., a concerted effort by the government, the private sector, and lay and medical volunteers is needed to reduce their toll on society. The National Kidney Foundation and its 43 Affiliates comprise the largest voluntary health organization in the country whose purpose and efforts are directed solely to this end.

Sources of Facts and Statistics:
1. NKF-K/DOQI Clinical Practice Guidelines for Chronic Kidney Disease: Evaluation, Classification and Stratification
2. U.S. Renal Data System 2007 Annual Data Report (www.usrds.org)
3.“Facts About Transplantation in the United States” (United Network for Organ Sharing; www.unos.org)
4. Coalition on Donation (www.shareyourlife.org)
5. “Kidney and Urologic Diseases Statistics for the United States,” from the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (www.niddk.nih.gov)
6. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/prostate/index.htm