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Top 10 Alarming Facts on Kidney Disease

What are Kidney Diseases?

The kidneys play a crucial role in filtering waste and excess fluid from the bloodstream, serving as vital organs. When these kidneys sustain damage and lose their ability to effectively filter blood, kidney disease develops. This condition can be caused by genetic factors, injuries, or certain medications. Individuals with diabetes and high blood pressure face a higher susceptibility to kidney diseases (1).

What are the Types of Kidney Diseases?

Health Facts on Kidney Diseases

Statistics on Kidney Diseases

  1. The incidence of kidney failure (or chronic kidney disease) has doubled over the last 15 years
  2. .It is estimated that there are currently over 2 million people worldwide who are alive on dialysis or with a functioning graft(3).
  3. Almost 66% of kidney failure occurs due to hypertension or diabetes.
  4. There are approximately 7.85 million people suffering from chronic kidney failure in India.
  5. It is estimated that there are between 11 and 30 million people with chronic kidney disease or other evidence of kidney disease in the USA (4).
  6. In the United States, the cost of treating patients with renal replacement therapy will be $30 billion. It is estimated that over 600,000 patients will require treatment (5).
  7. In India, 90% of patients who suffer from kidney disease are not able to afford the cost of treatment (6,7 ).
  8. The crisis of kidney shortages is a global phenomenon, and it is worst in Asian countries. There were over 75,000 patients waiting for a transplant in the United States at the end of 2007 (8).

Causes of Kidney Failure

  1. Diabetes is an important cause of kidney failure and is five times more common in Asians compared to the white population (9).
  2. Another lifestyle-related disorder - hypertension, is an important cause of kidney failure, and it too has seen a global increase in its incidence. Asians are twice as likely to develop this condition compared to the white population (9).