TRENDS IN RENAL-DISEASE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN THE UNITED-STATES,1979 TO 1990

Four indices of morbidity and mortality due to seven groups of renal d iseases are evaluated in the United States for the period 1979 through 1990. These indices include mortality, hospitalization, doctor's offi ce visits, and prevalence, Age-adjusted and age-specific rates are cal culated, Estimates are provided for racial-, ethnic-, and gender-speci fic subpopulations, The burden of some diseases had decreased, especia lly renal infections, Most indices of the burden of diabetes with rena l involvement and hypertensive renal disease have increased, especiall y among segments of the population that are growing, For many groups o f disorders examined, men have experienced an increasing burden of dis ease over the 12 years evaluated, These data support current trends in renal failure and serve to generate hypotheses regarding renal diseas e patterns, The magnitude of the burden of renal disease and the trend s toward increasing rates indicate that renal disease is a large and g rowing clinical and public health problem, Major improvements are need ed in the range and accuracy of diagnosis and of reporting renal-relat ed conditions, and additional resources need to be brought to the prob lem of renal-related morbidity, This is a US government work, There ar e no restrictions on its use.