Chin Med J (Engl). 2026 Jun 1. doi: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000004100. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The global burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is rapidly increasing due to the rising prevalence of metabolic diseases. However, the epidemiological characteristics of CKD in women and its epidemiological association with metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain unclear.
METHODS: Based on data from the Global Burden of Disease study 2021, this research used Joinpoint regression analysis to identify the global trends of CKD in women. A comprehensive assessment of CKD burden in women was conducted across multiple dimensions, such as age stratification, five CKD subtypes, sociodemographic index, decomposition analysis, risk factors, and CVD attributable to kidney function impairment.
RESULTS: In 2021, the global number of women with CKD reached 359 million, an increase of 90.65% compared to 1990, with the absolute number of diabetic kidney disease cases nearly doubling. Nearly two-thirds of patients were postmenopausal women, and their age-standardized mortality rate and age-standardized disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) rate had significantly increased to 64.03 and 1493.31 per 100,000, respectively. The age-standardized prevalence rate among women of reproductive age demonstrated a continuous upward trend (average annual percentage change, 0.13%). Regionally, the age-standardized mortality rate and age-standardized DALY rate of women with CKD were highest in the regions with low and low-middle sociodemographic index (SDI), while the age-standardized prevalence rate was highest in low-middle SDI regions. Metabolic risk factors constituted the main attributable risk factors for CKD in women, with risks owing to high fasting glucose and high body mass index rapidly increasing among women of reproductive age (by 40.66% and 112.17%, respectively). CVD attributable to kidney function impairment accounted for 18.19 million DALYs, representing 46.70% of the total disease burden, with ischemic heart disease being the main contributor. Population growth (58.63%) and aging (26.64%) were the main drivers of the increasing burden of CKD in women.
CONCLUSION: In the future, women will face severe metabolic-renal-cardiac health challenges related to metabolic disorders.
PMID:42405824 | DOI:10.1097/CM9.0000000000004100