Millions of Americans may have chronic kidney disease (CKD) and not know it, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. In the study reported by EurekAlert, researchers analyzed a nationally representative sample of about 8,200 Americans from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Standard laboratory tests were used to assess the rate of CKD, focusing on people with undiagnosed diabetes or prediabetes. The researchers found 42 percent...

According to a study being published in the January issue of Diabetes Care, and reported by the ADA, the incidence of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or kidney failure, has begun a steady decline among people with diabetes after rising steadily for years.The decreasing trend was noted in all age groups and among both men and women, as well as among both Caucasians and African Americans. This change is attributed to the improvements in treatment and care for diabetics. Diabetes is the leading cause of ESRD, a life-threatening condition...

CNN reports that due to the diabetes epidemic in developing countries, there is a growing number of people suffering from kidney disease. As developing countries become increasingly urbanized, they are adopting the unhealthy lifestyles that promote diabetes and high blood pressure, the leading causes of kidney disease. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 180 million people worldwide have diabetes, and 10 to 20 percent of those will die of kidney failure. It predicts that the number of diabetics will double by 2030.