Diabetes was the most frequently reported primary cause of ESRD in 1998, accounting for almost one half of all new cases. In comparison, hypertension, the second leading cause, accounted for slightly more than one fifth of new cases. Hypertension is listed as a composite category that includes several distinct entities, such as renal disease due to hypertension, renal artery stenosis/occlusion, and atheroembolic disease. The remaining new cases were attributed to glomerulonephritis, cystic kidney disease, and other causes.
Whites accounted for the majority (62.6%) of new ESRD cases in 1998, but, notably, African Americans (12.8% of the population in general) accounted for a disproportionately large percentage (30.1%) of these cases. This finding is consistent with the higher incidence of diabetes in the African American population. Asians/Pacific Islanders and Alaska Natives/Native Americans accounted for small proportions of the new ESRD cases, 3.4% and 1.6%, respectively.

USRDS 2000 Annual Data Report. 2000:251.