The aging pandemic: demographic changes in the general and end-stage renal disease populations.

The aging of the US population, and Western society populations in general, has been of concern to demographers and health planners for a number of years. The implications of this demographic shift include both increased economic and health care burdens for the United States. The growth of the end-stage renal disease population in the 1980s and 1990s suggested massive increases in this very expensive and frail population. However, recent incidence rates suggest that future growth may not be as great as thought just a few years ago.