According to a new report by the United States Renal Data System (USRDS), rates of kidney failure and related deaths associated are decreasing in the country, although there is a rise in the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). While, Mexico’s statistics on showed that by 2025 the number of new cases of kidney failure will increase by 65.9 percent.
USRDS’s researchers reported that about 14 percent of U.S. adults have CKD, which can progress to end-stage kidney failure. Risk factors for chronic kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, acute kidney injury, family history of kidney disease and being 50 or older.
The organization explained that because of aging and overweight population, the rate of end-stage kidney disease continues to increase.
2012 data shows that almost 637,000 kidney failure patients are undergoing dialysis or have received a kidney transplant in the United States, including about 115,000 new people diagnosed with kidney failure.
However, the report’s authors said that patients may be faring better and living longer. According to the USRDS’s 2014 annual report, which is based at the University of Michigan, the growth rate for new cases of potentially fatal kidney failure fell for three years in a row, from 2010 to 2012.
“It is too soon to declare victory on the war against the rising tide of kidney failure, but our analysis provides some good news about kidney disease in the U.S.,” Dr. Rajiv Saran, director of the USRDS coordinating center, said in a university news release.
“We will follow these trends closely to see whether they are sustained over the coming years, study what factors may be responsible for bringing about this positive change, and explore how it may be even further accelerated,” Saran added.
The report also found that in 2012, total Medicare spending for all stages of kidney disease was more than $87 billion. That does not include prescription medications. About $58 billion of that amount was spent caring for people with chronic kidney disease.
“A comprehensive approach to improving kidney health should include prevention and awareness of chronic kidney disease. […] Warning signs are minimal or non-existent, but simple tests can help with early diagnosis,” Saran concluded.
In the case of Mexico, national statistics show that kidney disease’s annual incidence is 40 thousand people, and it is estimated that by 2025 the number of new cases in its terminal stage will increase by 65.9 percent.
Data obtained by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) indicate that there are currently 9.5 million people in our country who suffer from kidney disease, of which 129,000 have a chronic condition.
It is estimated that Mexico’s Government now spends about 10 billion pesos to treat chronic renal failure. Unfortunately, the budget is insufficient, since only less than half of total chronic kidney disease patients in Mexico receive treatment, because it is very expensive. Patients must be periodically connected to a machine to replace their kidney function and it can cost from 8,000 to 15,000 pesos, causing many patients remain untreated.
It is estimated that the disease will reach its highest peak in 2043, representing expenditures of approximately 20 billion pesos.
Source: Health Library, USRDS, Invdes, Termómetro en Línea
