More than 35 million U.S. adults have chronic kidney disease, CDC estimates

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - More than 35 million adults in the United States are living with chronic kidney disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The disease can affect people of any racial or ethnic background, but genetic factors, socioeconomic conditions and barriers to health care may increase the risk for some communities, including Black, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Native American populations, according to the American Kidney Fund.

Dr. Michelle Nguyen, an abdominal transplant surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, said higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure contribute to the increased risk.

Limited access to health care can also delay diagnosis and make it harder for patients to see kidney specialists.

"It's not just one thing...it's a combination of factors," Dr. Nguyen said. "Usually, these populations have higher rates of diabetes and higher rates of high blood pressure, so that plays a huge role. But I also think having low access to health care leads to delays in diagnosis and just having low access to kidney doctors."

Access to care can be especially limited in counties near the U.S.-Mexico border. Nguyen cited a recent publication that found these counties face disadvantages in managing chronic kidney disease, in part because they have fewer kidney specialists.

Nguyen said referrals from a primary care physician to a kidney specialist can be important to a patient’s outcome.

For more information about kidney disease, visit the Arizona Mayo Clinic.