Objective  To investigate the current status and trends of chronic kidney disease (CKD) burden in China from 1990 to 2021, and to provide scientific evidence for the formulation of CKD prevention and control policies.

Methods  Data were sourced from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study. The burden of CKD and its subtypes in China was analyzed using incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) metrics. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was used to assess the temporal trends.

Results  In 2021, the age-standardized incidence, mortality and DALY rates of CKD in China were 163.74 per 100,000, 10.84 per 100,000 and 315.33 per 100,000, respectively. From 1990 to 2021, age-standardized incidence rate of CKD showed an upward trend [EAPC=0.52%, 95%CI(0.44, 0.59)], while age-standardized mortality rate [EAPC=-0.90%, 95%CI(-0.98, -0.81)] and age-standardized  DALY rate [EAPC=- 1.25%, 95%CI(-1.35, -1.16)] showed downward trends (EAPC<0). The burden of CKD exhibited significant gender and age characteristics, with higher incidence rates in females compared to males, but lower mortality and DALY rates in females. The burden of disease for CKD tends to increase with age, with a higher burden of disease in people over 60 years of age. The primary contributors to CKD burden were CKD due to diabetes mellitus type 2 and hypertensive renal disease, for which high fasting plasma glucose, high BMI and high blood pressure were the main risk factors.

Conclusion  The burden of CKD is high in China and varies significantly across age groups and gender. Therefore, it is necessary to further optimize and implement a tiered prevention and control strategy, starting from the key populations and major risk factors, and commit to effectively reducing the overall disease burden of CKD in China.

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