Title: Kidney Disease: The Basics | National Kidney Foundation
Headings: Kidney Disease: The Basics
Kidney Disease: The Basics
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Fast Facts
What is Kidney Disease?
What Causes Kidney Disease?
How is Kidney Disease Treated?
How Many People Require Dialysis or Transplant?
Who is at Risk for Kidney Disease?
What's Behind Racial Disparities in Kidney Disease?
How are Children and Adolescents Affected by Kidney Disease?
What are the Costs to Treat Kidney Disease?
How Do You Prevent Kidney Disease?
Early Detection
Keep Kidneys Healthy
Preventative Medicine Pays Off

Content: People from some groups are more likely to develop kidney disease than others. Many factors can contribute to these groups being at higher risk, ranging from societal to medical reasons. A breakdown of kidney disease rates within demographic categories of the general population of the United States for 2015—2018 (USRDS, Prevalence of CKD in U.S. adults within age, sex, race/ethnicity, & risk factor categories) showed: 16.0% Non-Hispanic Black or African American; 15.7% Non-Hispanic White; 11.9% Hispanic or Latino (2018). Among Medicare FFS (fee-for-service) beneficiaries, kidney disease is highest among Blacks or African Americans (33%), followed by American Indians or Alaska Natives (30%), Hispanics or Latinos (28%), and Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders (26%). Whites (23%) beneficiaries had the lowest percentages of kidney disease (2018). Non-Hispanic Black or African-American and Hispanic or Latino people experience more rapid decline of kidney function than non-Hispanic Whites. Minority communities in general are at increased risk of progressing from CKD to KFRT and of progressing more rapidly.