LAUSR

R ecent data from the Global Burden of Disease project provide alarming statistics about the rapidly growing burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the world. The data from the Global Burden of Disease project reveal a dramatic increase (90%) of global years of life lost to CKD from 1990 to 2013; it is now the 13th leading cause of death worldwide. CKD, which results in almost 1 million deaths annually, is only one of 3 diseases in which standardized death rates have increased since 1990 (the other 2 being HIV/AIDS and diabetes). The number of years patients have lived with a disability related to CKD also increased by 49.5% during the same period. Despite these dramatic increases, the Global Burden of Disease project estimates do not include rates of acute kidney injury, nor do they account for the increase in cardiovascular disease and other medical conditions that result from having impaired kidney function. The