The epidemiology of end-stage renal disease in Georgia

We have examined the incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Georgia in 1986 and 1987. We found high age-sex-race specific and total incidence rates compared to rates reported for other U.S. populations. Cause-specific and total ESRD incidence rates were significantly higher among blacks as compared to whites. In both races, the majority of new cases of ESRD occurring in Georgia during 1986 and 1987 can be attributed to diabetes or hypertension. Total ESRD rates were not uniform throughout the state; counties of the Coastal Plain (South) were significantly more likely to have higher rates than counties in the Piedmont Region (North). These patterns of ESRD in Georgia have implications for possible prevention efforts.