Estimated Burden of Kidney Diseases in Albania during 1990-2019

Aim: The information about kidney diseases in the general population of Albania is scant and not well-documented. The aim of our analysis was to describe the trend of selected kidney diseases in Albania for the period 1990-2019. Methods: Our analysis was based on the estimates available from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) studies, reported by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). For Albania, IHME uses the data mainly available from the National Institute of Statistics. Results: The age-standardized proportional mortality due to kidney dysfunction in Albania in 1990 was about 4.2% compared with 6.0% in 2019. There was evidence of a reduction in the past three decades in the mortality rate and burden of acute glomerulonephritis in the Albanian population. At a crude level, chronic kidney disease and its share attributable to hypertension exhibited a gradual increase from 1990 to 2019, whereas the age-standardized estimates were lower in 2019 than in 1990. Conclusion: Our analysis summarizes valuable information about the mortality rate and burden of kidney diseases in Albania, a post-communist country in Southeastern Europe characterized by a rapid and intensive process of political and socioeconomic transition. Similar to most of the countries worldwide, kidney diseases constitute a significant health challenge for the health care system in Albania.