Over the past 2 decades the prevalence of diabetic kidney disease in the U.S. increased in direct proportion to the prevalence of diabetes itself, according to a study in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA.
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a common complication of diabetes and the leading cause of chronic kidney disease in the developed world. Approximately 40 percent of persons with diabetes develop DKD, which also accounts for nearly half of all new cases of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States. "Over time, the prevalence of DKD may increase due to the expanding size of the diabetes population or decrease due to the implementation of diabetes therapies," according to background information in the article the authors write.
Ian H. de Boer, M.D., M.S., of the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues examined trends in the prevalence of DKD in the United States and changes in disease manifestations among persons with diabetes over the past 2 decades. The study included data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) from 1988-1994 (n = 15,073), NHANES 1999-2004 (n = 13,045), and NHANES 2005-2008 (n = 9,588). Participants with diabetes were defined by levels of hemoglobin A 1c of 6.5 percent or greater, use of glucose-lowering medications, or both (n = 1,431 in NHANES III; n = 1,443 in NHANES 1999-2004)