Open AccessBurden, Access, and Disparities in Kidney Disease
Author(s) -
Deidra C. Crews,
Aminu K. Bello,
Gamal Saadi
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
american journal of nephrology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1421-9670
pISSN - 0250-8095
DOI - 10.1159/000497540
Subject(s) - kidney disease , medicine , public health , disease , health care , socioeconomic status , global health , disease burden , intensive care medicine , health equity , equity (law) , acute kidney injury , environmental health , economic growth , population , pathology , political science , law , economics
Kidney disease is a global public health problem, affecting over 750 million persons worldwide. The burden of kidney disease varies substantially across the world. In many settings, rates of kidney disease and the provision of its care are defined by socioeconomic, cultural, and political factors leading to significant disparities. World Kidney Day 2019 offers an opportunity to raise awareness of kidney disease and highlight disparities in its burden and current state of global capacity for prevention and management. Here, we highlight the need for strengthening basic infrastructure for kidney care services for early detection and management of acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease across all countries and advocate for more pragmatic approaches to providing renal replacement therapies. Achieving universal health coverage worldwide by 2030 is a World Health Organization Sustainable Development Goal. While universal health coverage may not include all elements of kidney care in all countries, understanding what is locally feasible and important with a focus on reducing the burden and consequences of kidney disease would be an important step towards achieving kidney health equity.