Why Is ESRD Growing So Fast?
End stage renal disease is growing rapidly for a number of reasons. First and foremost, advances in treatment are allowing patients to live longer and enjoy a better quality of life while undergoing dialysis. Although complications become more likely the longer the person has this disease, with proper care and management, they can be prevented or managed. Currently, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases states one in ten adults in America, or more than 20 million individuals, have some form of chronic kidney disease.
Chronic kidney disease continues to increase most rapidly in those age 65 and older, and the incidence rate has more than doubled between 2000 and 2008, with these numbers continuing to grow. For those between the ages of 20 and 64, the incidence rate remains at less than half of one percent. African Americans are three times more likely to develop end stage renal disease following chronic kidney disease.
The United States Rental Data System maintains statistics concerning end stage renal disease in this country. According to their reports, in the first quarter of 2013, 248,575 individuals age 65 and older suffered from ESRD. This number increased to 252,426 in the second quarter, 256,516 in the third quarter and 260,306 in the fourth…show more content… Another one in three adults in America have been diagnosed with prehypertension, a condition in which blood pressure readings are higher than normal, yet they don't reach the range in which high blood pressure is diagnosed. High blood pressure becomes more common as a person ages, and this condition increases the individual's risk of kidney failure. Sadly, one in five adults don't know they have high blood pressure, putting them more at risk of kidney issues, as their blood pressure readings aren't under
