ABSTRACT
Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also known as chronic renal failure, is an irreversible disease characterized by the progressive loss of kidney function over time, usually a period of months to years.1,2 Prevalence data for CKD are dif-cult to ascertain given that the early stages of the disease process are typically asymptomatic,3 and given inconsistencies in diagnostic and classication systems.4 However, recent data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) suggest that 13.1% of adults (aged >20 years) living in the United States had Stage 1-4 CKD in 2004.5 More recent estimates by the United States Renal Data System suggest that 15.1% of the adult population in the United States has CKD.6
