Disease burden and challenges of chronic kidney disease in North and East Asia

North and East Asia includes mainland China (including Hong Kong), Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan (Figure 1). The region comprises a population of more than 1.6 billion, with considerable diversities in economy, living habits, climates, and environments. North Korea is classified as a low-income country by World Bank criteria, whereas China and Mongolia belong to the upper middle income group, and Japan, Hong Kong, South...