AUTHOR=Yang Yang , Xu Yujie , Xue Xiaoran , Zhao Mingyi , He Qingnan 
  
TITLE=Burden of chronic kidney disease among children and adolescents in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions, 1990 to 2021
  
JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health
  
VOLUME=Volume 71 - 2026
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2026.1609313
  
DOI=10.3389/ijph.2026.1609313
  
ISSN=1661-8564
  
ABSTRACT=ObjectivesThere is little comprehensive or updated evidence on the burden of CKD among children and adolescents in Asia-Pacific. We aimed to report the CKD burden among people under 20 years from 1990 to 2021 using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2021 (GBD).MethodsWe conducted a retrospective descriptive analysis using GBD 2021 data for individuals aged <20 years in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions. We assessed age-standardized rates (ASRs) of CKD prevalence, incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from 1990 to 2021, and examined their associations with the Socio-demographic Index (SDI).ResultsIn 2021, the ASR of CKD incidence was 26.72 per 100,000 in South-East Asia and 20.92 per 100,000 in the Western Pacific. From 1990 to 2021, overall ASRs of CKD incidence, deaths, and DALYs declined in both regions (AAPC for DALYs: −2.43 in South-East Asia and −2.87 in Western Pacific). Children aged <5 years had the highest incidence rates (53.97 and 49.29 per 100,000), whereas adolescents aged 15–19 years had the highest burden in terms of prevalence (2,630.63 and 1,445.9 per 100,000), deaths (1.03 and 0.91 per 100,000), and DALYs (93.33 and 76.65 per 100,000). Males experienced higher death and DALY rates than females in both regions (death rate: 0.79 and 0.51 vs. 0.55 and 0.42 per 100,000; DALY rate: 73.25 and 44.64 vs. 52.65 and 38.69 per 100,000). CKD burden declined more markedly in high-SDI countries. However, several Pacific Island countries, despite being classified as middle- or high-SDI, exhibited disproportionately high CKD burden due to geographic and healthcare access challenges.ConclusionCKD burden in children and adolescents in Asia-Pacific decreased from 1990 to 2021. Gender- and age-specific interventions and early treatment of CKD-related complications may help improve patient care, especially in regions with lower SDI and Pacific Island countries.