Prevalence refers to the presence of a health-related condition (e.g., CKD) in a particular population at a specific point in time (point prevalence) or, less frequently, during a specific period (period prevalence); it may be expressed as a count (number of prevalent cases) or as the proportion of cases in the population (prevalence of the condition).

CKD is characterized by a high burden of comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and others. Many of these conditions can be both a cause and consequence of CKD. In the presence of CKD, outcomes among patients with other comorbidities are typically worse than in the absence of CKD.  The most important consequences of CKD include renal disease progression that has the potential to lead to end stage renal disease (ESRD), or death.