Chronic kidney disease is common in Western countries for example, it is estimated that 10 percent of older adults in the U.S. suffer from it. The incidence of kidney disease is also increasing in many developing countries as more people develop obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes, all of which increase the risk of kidney problems. If kidney disease progresses, a person can develop end-stage disease, treatable only with dialysis or a kidney transplant.

A research team at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and the University of Heidelberg has proven that a gene protects some people with diabetes from developing severe kidney failure or "end-stage renal disease."