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Facts About Kidney Disease

About Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) means that there has been damage to your kidneys, which decreases their ability to keep you healthy. If kidney disease gets worse, waste and fluids can build to high levels in your blood and make you feel sick. You may develop complications like high blood pressure, anemia (low blood count causing fatigue), weak bones, poor nutritional health, and nerve damage. Also, kidney disease increases your risk of having heart and blood vessel disease.

These problems may happen slowly over a long period of time. However, early detection and treatment can often keep CKD from getting worse.

Facts about chronic kidney disease1

  • 20 million Americans (one in nine adults) have CKD and another 20 million are at increased risk
  • High-risk groups include those with diabetes, hypertension, and family history of kidney disease
  • African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and seniors are at increased risk
  • Three simple tests can detect CKD: blood pressure, urine, and serum creatinine
  • Early detection can help prevent the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure

About End-Stage Renal Disease

End-stage renal disease (ESRD), sometimes called kidney failure, occurs when kidney damage becomes so severe that the kidneys function at less than 10% of normal capacity. When this happens, the kidneys are almost completely unable to help the body excrete waste and regulate bodily fluids. Dialysis is necessary to perform the normal functions of the kidneys. A modified diet and medication are also necessary to help you feel better and stay healthy.

At VillageHealth, we empower our members with information about kidney disease and provide education so patients can take a more active role in maintaining their overall health.

Facts about end-stage renal disease1

  • Since 2000, the overall incident rate of ESRD has been leveling off, and even decreased slightly in 2003
  • Rates for the elderly have risen 87%, and the incident rate for African Americans is nearly four times higher than the rate for whites and twice as high as the rate in the Native American population
  • The number of new cases of ESRD is still well above the target number established by the United States Healthy People 2010 initiative
  • The major causes of ESRD are diabetes and hypertension
  • ESRD caused by hypertension and diabetes rose between 1993 and 2003, although it has leveled off more recently
  • The incident rate is expected to rise again based upon the increased prevalence of diabetes in the general population

Reference:

  1. US Renal Data System. USRDS 2006 Annual Data Report: Atlas of End-Stage Renal Disease in the United States. Bethesda, Md: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2006.