Abstract
Kidney disease is an important US public health problem because it affects over 37 million Americans, and Medicare expenditures for patients with chronic kidney disease now alone exceed $130 billion annually. Kidney disease is characterized by strong racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities, and reducing kidney disease incidence will positively impact US health disparities. Due to the aging of the US population and an unabated obesity epidemic, the number of patients receiving treatment for kidney failure is anticipated to increase, which will escalate kidney disease health expenditures. The historical and current investment in kidney-related research via the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has severely lagged behind ongoing expenditures for kidney disease care. Increasing research investment will identify, develop, and increase implementation of interventions to slow kidney disease progression, reduce incidence of kidney failure, enhance survival, and improve quality of life. This perspective states the urgent reasons why increasing investment in kidney-related research is important for US public health. The National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology are working together to advocate for increased funding for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The long-term goal is to reduce the burden of kidney disease in the US population and improve the quality of life of patients living with kidney disease.