Abstract
Introduction: Kidney failure, a critical global health issue, has shown varying trends in incidence across different regions over the past five years.
Objectives: This ecological analysis examines data from the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) to identify the trend pattern of kidney failure incidence between 2019 and 2023 across the world.
Methods: This ecological study was conducted to evaluate kidney failure incidence across 78 countries over a five-year period (2019–2023) using data from the ISN Global Kidney Health Atlas (GKHA). Data were sourced from the ISN-GKHA website and included information for 78 countries across 10 global regions. The analysis involved extracting datasets from 2019 and 2023 to calculate changes in kidney failure incidence, identifying regional and global trends.
Results: The results indicated that high-income countries exhibited varying trends in kidney failure incidence. For instance, Taiwan, Korea, and Chile experienced significant increases, whereas the Czech Republic and Panama recorded decreases. In middle-income countries, the patterns were mixed; Indonesia, Mexico, and Tunisia show marked rises, while Ecuador and El Salvador reported notable declines. Meanwhile, countries like Bahrain, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, and South Africa demonstrated stable rates, potentially reflecting steady healthcare systems or reliable data collection practices.
Conclusion: The incidence of kidney failure across countries revealed diverse trends influenced by income levels and healthcare systems. High-income countries demonstrated variability, with significant increases in Taiwan, Korea, and Chile, contrasted by declines in the Czech Republic and Panama. Middle-income nations exhibited mixed patterns, as Indonesia, Mexico, and Tunisia reported rising rates, while Ecuador and El Salvador experienced declines. The stability observed in countries such as Bahrain, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, and South Africa suggests consistent healthcare infrastructure or effective data collection practices.
Registration: This study has been compiled based on data from the ISN-GKHA website, and its protocol was registered on the research registry (UIN: researchregistry11142) website (https://gkha.theisn.org/).