Disparities in chronic kidney disease (CKD), the precursor of end stage renal disease (ESRD), have not been thoroughly studied in high risk populations such as Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. However, Hall et al. found that Asians (including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders) are at increased risk for development of CKD outcomes even after adjustment for baseline kidney disease and other ESRD risk factors (Hall, Sugihara, Go, & Chertow, 2005). A 2007 study by Mau et al. found that age was not an independent risk factor for chronic kidney disease in Native Hawaiians (Mau et al., 2007).
The rate of end stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States is 1,542 per million population (US Renal Data System, 2006). Since 1980, the sharpest rise in the number of new cases of ESRD was found among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (Mau et al., 2007). Unfortunately, few studies have examined the impact of CKD and ESRD in Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders by age and thus, insights as to the underlying burden among the elderly are limited. In lieu of elder-specific data on CKD, it is likely that one of the leading causes of ESRD and CKD in this elderly population of Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders is diabetes.
- Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are at increased risk for developing CKD and ESRD.
- Diabetes is the most common cause of ESRD for all racial/ethnic groups including Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.
