Fast Facts

• Kidney disease is the 9th leading cause of death in the United States, causing more deaths than breast cancer or prostate cancer each year.
• 26 million Americans have kidney disease and most don't know it.
• 73 million Americans are at risk for kidney disease due to diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney disease.
• African Americans, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and the elderly are at increased risk of developing kidney disease.
• Early detection and proper treatment can slow or prevent the progress of kidney disease. Keeping blood pressure and blood sugar under control can prevent kidney disease.
• More than 415,000 people in the United States depend on dialysis treatment to survive.
• Of the over 116,000 Americans on the national organ transplant waitlist, more than 94,000 await a life-saving kidney.
• Last year, an average of 13 people died each day while waiting for a kidney transplant.

Sources of Facts and Statistics:
United States Renal Data System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Health, United Network of Organ Sharing and Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Vital Statistics