The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report detailing the incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with diabetes. The report was published in the November 5, 2005, issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and can be accessed athttp://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5443a2.htm.

Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of ESRD in the United States, accounting for 44 percent of new cases in 2002. The CDC analyzed data from 1990 to 2002 from the U.S. Renal Data System and the National Health Interview Survey. The number of persons beginning treatment for ESRD caused by diabetes mellitus (ESRD-DM) increased 162 percent from 1990 to 2002. The age-adjusted incidence of ESRD increased from 247 for every 100,000 persons with diabetes in 1990 to305 in 1996. In 1997, the incidence of ESRD dropped to 293 for every 100,000 persons with diabetes, and it dropped again to 232 persons in 2002.

This decline in the incidence of ESRD-DM varied by age, sex, race, and ethnicity. From 1990 to 2002, the age-adjusted incidence was higher among men than women and higher among blacks than whites. From 1997 to 2002, the age-adjusted incidence decreased significantly in women but not in men, and incidence decreased in whites but not blacks. Incidence among Hispanics did not change significantly. From 1997 to 2002, incidence decreased for persons younger than 65 years, increased 10 percent for persons 75 years and older, and did not change significantly for persons 65 to 74 years of age.