Ten Facts About African-Americans And Kidney Disease

http://www.kidney.org/general/news/african-american.cfm

Due to a significant prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and glomerulonephritis, African-Americans have a high risk of developing end-stage kidney disease, which necessitates regular dialysis or a kidney transplant in order to maintain life. It is important for African- Americans to have an increased awareness of these risk factors and to have a doctor regularly check their blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Following are ten facts everyone should be aware of concerning African-Americans and kidney disease:

1. African Americans suffer from end stage kidney disease disproportionately; while they account for about 30 percent of the patients who have this serious illness, they make up only 12 percent of the U.S. population.
2. High blood pressure is the leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans, accounting for about 40 percent of the new cases in that particular population each year. In the general U.S. population, high blood pressure is the second leading cause of end stage kidney disease.
3. African Americans have high blood pressure twice as often as whites, and more severely. They have end stage kidney disease associated with high blood pressure eight times more often than whites, and African-Americans aged 30 to 49 also have this disorder to a greater degree than whites in the same age group.
4. Although many African Americans are aware that they have high blood pressure, a significant number are not aware that they may also have related kidney failure. Recent studies show that at least 43 percent of African-Americans on dialysis did not know about their kidney failure until one week before dialysis was initiated.
5. African Americans also suffer disproportionately from diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes, at age 45 or older, is 1.4 to 2.3 times as frequent in blacks as in whites. For every white American who gets diabetes, 1.6 African Americans get diabetes.
6. Diabetes Mellitus was uncommon among African Americans at the beginning of the century. It is now the fifth leading cause of death for African Americans between the ages of 45 and 64, and the third leading cause of death for those over the age of 65.
7. At least 1.3 million African Americans are known to have diabetes; this is nearly three times the number of African Americans who were diagnosed with diabetes in 1963. Actual numbers may be substantially higher, since studies suggest that for every African American diagnosed with diabetes there is at least one undiagnosed case.
8. Diabetes is the second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans, accounting for about 30 percent of the new cases each year. In the general U.S. population, diabetes is the leading cause of end stage kidney disease.
9. Diabetes is considered almost epidemic among African-American women. One in four African-American women older than 55 has diabetes--double the rate in white women.
10. The increase in diabetes and its complications, including end stage kidney disease, may be related to a higher prevalence of obesity in this population--a strong risk factor for non-insulin dependent diabetes. Among people with diagnosed diabetes, 83 percent of adult African- American women are obese compared with 62 percent of white women, and 45 percent of African-American men are obese compared with 39 percent of white men.

When high blood pressure and diabetes are detected and controlled early, serious complications can often be avoided. Some evidence also suggests that these diseases may be preventable in some cases. By eating a healthy diet, staying trim and exercising regularly, individuals may be able to decrease their risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes. Since African-Americans also have a higher proportion of people who are sensitive to large amounts of salt in their diet, keeping salt intake down may help to control existing high blood pressure and may even play a role in prevention in this population. The National Kidney Foundation and its 52 Affiliates comprise the major voluntary health organization in the United States dedicated to the eradication of kidney and urologic diseases.

November 1998

Sources consulted in the compilation of this fact sheet include: