Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease among adolescents and emerging adults from 1990 to 2021

There are limited studies on the epidemiology of chronic kidney disease (CKD) burden among adolescents and emerging adults. We aimed to assess the global, regional, and national trends in CKD burden among adolescents and emerging adults. The Global Burden of Disease 2021 study was utilized to evaluate the incidence, prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and average annual percentage changes (AAPC) in CKD among populations aged 15 to 29 years from 1990 to 2021. From 1990 to 2021, age-standardized incidence (AAPC: 0.85%, 95% uncertainty interval [95% UI]: 0.81%-0.88%), prevalence (AAPC: 0.22%, 95% UI: 0.19%–0.25%), and mortality (AAPC: 0.18%, 95% UI: 0.04%–0.32%) rates of CKD have risen globally among adolescents and emerging adults. In 2021, Southeast Asia had the highest age-standardized prevalence (5370.39 [95% UI: 4060.97–6929.79] per 100,000 population), while Central sub-Saharan Africa had the highest mortality rate (5.05 [95% UI: 3.49–7] per 100,000 population). In 2021, glomerulonephritis and ‘other and unspecified causes’ accounted for 94% of new cases, 83% of prevalent cases, and 92% of mortality cases. Frontier analyses suggest that regions at varying stages of development still hold substantial potential for further improvements in addressing CKD. Globally, the burden of CKD among adolescents and emerging adults continues to rise, with Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa bearing a disproportionate burden. Nevertheless, there remain substantial opportunities across all levels of the development spectrum to alleviate the CKD burden through enhanced health interventions and resource allocation. CKD presents a significant public health problem that affects people of all ages. In the age group of 15–29 years, referred to as adolescents and emerging adults, the epidemiological study of CKD in this demographic has been limited. This was the first study to comprehensively analyze the trends in the burden of CKD among adolescents and emerging adults at global, regional, and national levels. The burden of CKD among adolescents and emerging adults requires attention. The results of this study provide a basis for formulating subsequent disease prevention and control policies.