Kidney Week

Abstract: TH-PO0560

Kidney Disease (KD) Hotspots Among Young Adults (18-44 Years) in the United States

Session Information

• CKD: From Global Burden to Precision Care - Epidemiology, Demographics, Geographies, and Risk Factors
  October 22, 2026 | Location: Exhibit Hall A, Convention Center
  Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Category: CKD (Non-Dialysis)

• 2201 CKD (Non-Dialysis): Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Prevention

Authors

• Bragg-Gresham, Jennifer L., University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Jennifer L. Bragg-Gresham, MS, PhD

• Licon, Ana Laura, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Ana Laura Licon, MS

• Fraunhofer, Linda, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Burlington, North Carolina, United States

Linda Fraunhofer, MS, PhD

• Ennis, Jennifer, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Burlington, North Carolina, United States

Jennifer Ennis

• Saran, Rajiv, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Rajiv Saran, MD, MBBS, MS

Background

While less common in younger adults, KD is rising globally among young people, often driven by hypertension, obesity, and diabetes, but also possibly due to environmental and social drivers such as unemployment, low income, lack of health insurance, and food insecurity. Using national laboratory data, we sought to examine hotspots of KD across the U.S. among adults aged 18-44 years, including assessment of poverty (social driver) and ambient temperature (environmental factor) in overlapping hotspots.

Methods

Using laboratory data from 10+ million Labcorp, Inc. users (2022), we calculated zip code level prevalence of KD (UACR ≥ 30 mg/g and/or eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73m²). Zip codes with less than six residents with kidney labs were suppressed. County-level poverty data came from the USDA and ambient temperature from the EPA. ArcGIS (Getis-Ord Gi* statistic) was employed for hotspot analyses. KD hotspots are displayed by colored dots and county-level measures by colored counties.

Results

A large hotspot of CKD is seen in the southern U.S., from Arizona to Florida. Small hotspots are also present in southern WA state, northern MT, WY, and the MO/OK border. While most of the northeast and northern plains are cold spots for CKD, a hotspot appears in MN and upstate NY. When overlayed with county hotspots for poverty and temperature, both align with the large CKD hotspot in the south, suggesting they may play a role in CKD among these young adults.

Conclusion

The large hotspot of kidney disease among young U.S. adults may be related to a combination of social and environmental drivers. Key factors for KD in young adults include low awareness, impact of lifestyle factors (high consumption of processed foods, insufficient water intake), as well as underlying conditions like obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, which are increasing among young adults.

Acknowledgment

This work was done under the Supporting and Improving the Surveillance System for Chronic Kidney Disease in the U.S., NU58DP006956, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Funding

• Other U.S. Government Support