Abstract: FR-PO1000
Global Trends in CKD Among Women, 1990-2021
Session Information
- Women's Health and Kidney Diseases
October 23, 2026 | Location: Exhibit Hall A, Convention Center
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Women's Health and Kidney Diseases
- 2100 Women's Health and Kidney Diseases
Authors
- Liu, Chongbin, Southern Medical University Nanfang Hospital Department of Nephrology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Qu, Xiaoli, Huashan Hospital Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Sun, Lin, Xiangya Hospital Central South University Department of Nephrology, Changsha, Hunan, China
Background
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is more prevalent in women than men, yet its global burden in women, including subtypes, risk factors, demographic drivers, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) attributable to impaired kidney function, remains insufficiently characterized. We addressed these gaps using globally comparable data.
Methods
Using Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021 data for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021, we evaluated age-standardized prevalence (ASPR), mortality (ASMR), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALY) rates (ASDR) of CKD in women, stratified by 5 subtypes (type 1/2 diabetes [T1DM/T2DM-CKD], hypertension [HT-CKD], glomerulonephritis [GN-CKD], and other-cause CKD), age, region, and sociodemographic index (SDI). Joinpoint regression yielded average annual percentage changes (AAPCs). Decomposition analysis partitioned DALY changes into aging, population growth, and epidemiological components. Population attributable fractions (PAFs) quantified risk-factor contributions, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) attributable to impaired kidney function was analyzed separately.
Results
In 2021, 359 million women had CKD globally (+90.65% vs 1990), with 733,100 deaths (+180.89%) and 20.69 million DALYs (+114.00%). ASMR rose to 15.90/100,000 (AAPC, +0.77%) and ASDR to 465.69/100,000 (AAPC, +0.28%), while ASPR declined slightly (AAPC, −0.04%).Diabetic kidney disease (T1DM+T2DM-CKD) contributed 36.84% of CKD-related deaths, with T2DM-CKD and HT-CKD showing the most pronounced increases in ASMR and ASDR among the five subtypes. The ASDR was highest in regions with low and low-middle SDI, particularly in Sub-Saharan African regions, where the increasing burden was driven primarily by population growth. Among women of reproductive age (15-49 years), ASPR rose modestly (AAPC, +0.13%), and PAFs for high fasting glucose (PC, +40.66%) and high body-mass index (+112.17%) increased sharply. CVD attributable to impaired kidney function accounted for 18.19 million DALYs (46.70% of the total burden of impaired kidney function), with ischemic heart disease being the leading contributor (60.40%). Globally, population growth (58.63%) and aging (26.64%) were the primary drivers of the increasing CKD burden among women.
Conclusion
Women will face increasing metabolic–renal–cardiovascular challenges related to metabolic disorders. Targeted interventions for metabolic risk are needed, particularly in young women.
Acknowledgment
We acknowledge the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the GBD 2021 collaborators for data access. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82370730), Hunan Provincial Clinical Medicine Research Center for Intelligent Management of Chronic Disease (2023SK4042).
Funding
- Government Support – Non-U.S.