Weekly issue 2026-W39 ·
Polycystic Kidney Disease-Related Mortality in the US (1999-2024): A Nationwide Joinpoint Analysis of Trends, Disparities, and Comorbidity Structure
Plain language
Looking at 25 years of US death certificates, researchers found that deaths linked to polycystic kidney disease fell from 1999 to 2013 and have risen again since. The rise was steepest among Black Americans. Over time, death certificates mentioned kidney failure less often and high blood pressure more often. These are population trends, not personal risk, and they do not explain why the reversal happened.
Clinical note
CDC WONDER multiple-cause death data, adults ≥25 y, ICD-10 Q61.2/Q61.3 anywhere on certificate (17,141 deaths). AAMR 0.341/100,000 (1999) → nadir 0.239 (2013) → 0.311 (2024); joinpoint 2013: APC −3.01% then +2.34%. Rebound steepest in non-Hispanic Black decedents (APC +4.17% vs +2.07% White); no significant rebound in the Northeast. Co-mentions: renal failure AAPC −2.40%, hypertension +3.92%. Death-certificate coding limits attribution; reversal predates ADPKD-specific therapy.
Question for your next visit
Which parts of my care, such as blood-pressure control, matter most for my long-term health with PKD?