Chronic kidney disease (CKD) involves a gradual loss of kidney function over months to years. When the kidneys function abnormally, health problems such as heart disease and high blood pressure can occur due to a buildup of wastes and water in the body. Here are some basic, and surprising, facts about CKD in the U.S.*

Statistics on CKD

• Prevalence. An estimated 37 million U.S. adults have CKD.
• Stealth. The vast majority of adults (90%) with CKD are unaware of it. About one in three people with very low functioning kidneys have not been diagnosed and are not on dialysis.
• Age. People 65 years of age and older are more likely to have CKD (34%) than those 45-64 years (12%) or 18-44 years (6%).
• Sex. Women are more likely than men to have CKD (14% versus 12%).
• Race. Non-Hispanic Black people are most likely to have CKD (20%), followed by Hispanic people (14%), non-Hispanic Asian people (14%), and non-Hispanic White people (13%), and non-Hispanic Asians (12%).

How to Identify, Prevent, and Treat CKD

Risk Factors 

In adults, the two major causes of CKD are diabetes (elevated blood sugar) and hypertension (high blood pressure). Additional risk factors are:

• Heart disease (of which diabetes and high blood pressure are the main causes) 
• Obesity 
• Family history of kidney disease 
• Past kidney damage 
• Older age

Prevention and Early Detection

Keeping CKD risk factors under control is essential, and can be achieved via a healthy lifestyle (proper diet and exercise, and healthy body weight). People with risk factors like diabetes and high blood pressure are also advised to get tested regularly.

Symptoms and Tests 

Symptoms of CKD—like tiredness, appetite loss, and high blood pressure—can go unnoticed until the disease has advanced, so basic blood and urine tests are crucial. The amount of creatinine, a muscle waste product found in the blood, is a measure of kidney function, while elevated protein levels in the urine indicate possible kidney damage.

Treatment

To help stop CKD from progressing—and possibly prevent further issues, like heart disease—it’s important to eat healthily and take your prescribed medicines for diabetes and high blood pressure.

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, March 11). Chronic Kidney Disease in the United States, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/kidney-disease/media/pdfs/CKD-Factsheet-H.pdf 

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