A Retrospective Study of Research Data on End Stage Renal Disease

The growing incidence of end stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States is a cause for concern. The main objectives of this research were to study the contribution of demographic factors and medical conditions to ESRD by developing statistical models of age, gender, race, and co-morbid factors. Data analysis of the United States Renal Data System indicated that from 1980–2011 the ESRD incidence increased at a high rate of 6.23% while the US population grew at 0.99%. Results showed that the older population carried an increased ESRD burden. Males and females did not have a significant difference in incidence. People with European ancestry had the highest incidence in absolute terms while African Americans had the highest per capita rate. While diabetes and hypertension were significant contributors, glomerulonephritis was highly prevalent among the young. In absolute terms, all top ten incidence groups consisted of 70+ year old white Americans, with either diabetes or hypertension. In per capita rates however, nine of the top ten incidence groups consisted of 70+ year-old African Americans with either diabetes or hypertension. In summary, this work provides a better understanding of ESRD trends and offers mathematical models to predict ESRD incidence over time.