Disease Burden of Diabetic Kidney Disease in China: A Systematic Literature Review

T h i s systematic literature review aims to synthesize evidence from observational studies on the clinical characteristics, metabolic control, disease progression, health-related quality of life, and healthcare resource use and costs among patients with diabetic kidney disease in China, in order to characterize the overall disease burden in this population.Rationale Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a major microvascular complication of diabetes and the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in China.The increasing prevalence of diabetes, population ageing, and the high burden of comorbid conditions have contributed to a growing number of patients affected by DKD.Disease progression is associated with worsening renal function, increased risks of cardiovascular events and mortality, deterioration in health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and escalating healthcare resource utilization and costs, particularly in advanced CKD stages and among patients requiring dialysis.Although a substantial number of observational studies on DKD have been conducted in China, the available evidence remains scattered and heterogeneous.Existing studies often focus on isolated outcomes, such as clinical characteristics, metabolic control, renal outcomes, HRQoL, or healthcare costs, and are frequently limited by regional scope, small sample sizes, or specific disease stages.As a result, there is a lack of an integrated and comprehensive synthesis that characterizes the overall disease burden of DKD in the Chinese population across multiple domains.A systematic literature review of real-world observational studies is therefore warranted to address this evidence gap.Synthesizing data on patient characteristics, metabolic control, disease progression, HRQoL, and economic burden can provide a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of the multidimensional burden of DKD in China.Such evidence is essential to