chronic kidney disease facts

ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN KIDNEY FUND:

    "37 million people in the United States are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The term “chronic kidney disease” means lasting damage to the kidneys that can get worse over time. If the damage is very bad, your kidneys may stop working. This is called kidney failure, or end-stage renal disease (ESRD)."

ACCORDING TO THE URBAN KIDNEY ALLIANCE:

Knowledge is Power

     What is chronic kidney disease? Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious and growing public health problem in the United States. CKD is a condition in which the kidneys become damaged, decreasing their ability to filter the blood and remove water and waste products. Wastes then build up in the blood, harming the body. When kidney function decreases to less than 15 percent, a patient has kidney failure.

    Kidney failure that requires dialysis or kidney transplant is often referred to as end-stage renal disease (ESRD). More than 20 million Americans aged 20 and older may have CKD. Although CKD is common, many Americans with the key risk factors –diabetes and high blood pressure-do not know they are at risk.

     In addition, the rising rates of diabetes and obesity will continue to fuel its growth, as both conditions increase the risk of developing CKD and speed its progression. 

    Therapies exist that can significantly slow the progression of CKD to kidney failure; particularly blood pressure control and use of medications that protect kidney function-called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). However, many people who would benefit from treatment are not receiving it.

According to the National Kidney Donation Organization:

-An average of 3150 New Kidney Patients are added every month.

-13 People die EVERY DAY waiting for a Kidney

-In 2019, 24,273 people received Kidneys in 2019

And 

-Currently, there are 100,791 people awaiting a Kidney.