Abstract: SA-PO1128
Correlation Between Emerging Kidney Disease Death Hotspots and Exposure to High Ambient Temperatures
Session Information
- CKD: Progression, Drugs, Modalities, and Environmental Factors
November 08, 2025 | Location: Exhibit Hall, Convention Center
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: CKD (Non-Dialysis)
- 2301 CKD (Non-Dialysis): Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Prevention
Authors
- Almoussa, Maya, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
- Saran, Rajiv, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
- Pavkov, Meda E., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- Han, Sola, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- Bragg-Gresham, Jennifer L., University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Background
Deaths related to kidney disease have been rising throughout the world. Previous studies have linked high ambient temperature with increased risks of kidney disease, but little is known about the impact on the kidney-related deaths. We examined whether this is also the case in the United States and how these deaths correlate with high ambient temperatures. This study aimed to (1) identify emerging hotspots of kidney-related deaths from 2010 to 2020, and (2) investigate the correlation between high ambient temperatures and kidney-related deaths.
Methods
We used the CDC Multiple Cause of Death database, which contains death certificate information for all deaths in the United States. We quantified the proportion of deaths with kidney disease as a primary or secondary cause by ICD-10 codes. ArcGIS software was used to examine emerging hotspots of these deaths from 2010 to 2020 using Mann-Kendall statistics for confidence and to examine bivariate correlations with average ambient temperatures in 2019 in the continental United States.
Results
Counties in pink show areas of the country where the percentage of kidney-related deaths have increased, with darker colors showing higher confidence for the trend, particularly in Texas and in the Midwest and Western regions (Figure 1). Counties in Texas, Arizona, California, and Florida also correspond to areas in the highest tertile of heat in 2019 as shown on the bivariate map (Figure 2).
Conclusion
Kidney-related deaths have risen in the United States during 2010-2020. Further, the correlation between hotspots of rising kidney-related deaths and high average temperatures is highest in the southern and western United States. However, rising deaths were also observed in many counties with low ambient temperatures. Further research may be required to understand why kidney-related deaths are rising in large areas of the United States and to investigate the relationship between exposure to heat in specific geographic areas.
Funding
- Other U.S. Government Support