There has been an increase in the prevalence and incidence of ESRD over the past two decades. In addition, minority groups have a higher incidence of ESRD than whites.
Renal failure can be either acute or chronic.
The potential reversibility of many specific entities in the differential diagnosis mandates that a rapid diagnosis be made and appropriate therapy begins. Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of ESRD in all major racial and ethnic groups except in African Americans. Hypertension is the most frequently reported cause of ESRD in African Americans. Whereas glomerulonephritis is the leading cause of ESRD in children while it places a distant third place in adults. The uremic syndrome, associated with the progressive decline in renal function, may be defined clinically as a state of systemic poisoning.