{"id":162129,"date":"2026-06-03T13:57:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidneyresearchuk.org\/?p=162129"},"modified":"2026-06-09T13:34:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:34:13","slug":"undiagnosed-chronic-kidney-disease-endangers-millions-of-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidneyresearchuk.org\/2026\/06\/03\/undiagnosed-chronic-kidney-disease-endangers-millions-of-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Undiagnosed chronic kidney disease endangers millions of lives"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\t\t\r\n\t

Millions of people worldwide are at risk because chronic kidney disease<\/a> (CKD) is going undiagnosed, according to global research being unveiled this week.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Former Kidney Research UK fellow, Dr Jennifer Lees has led an international collaboration on the research being published in The Lancet<\/a> and shared at the European Renal Association conference in Glasgow. Their work details the full extent of the healthcare burden caused by CKD, including its poor diagnosis rates and the complications and risks around delayed treatment. The team of global experts are calling for a renewed focus on CKD diagnosis and treatments.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Chronic kidney disease currently affects 844 million adults worldwide,\u00a0is\u00a0listed by the\u00a0World Health Organization as\u00a0the\u00a0ninth\u00a0leading\u00a0cause of death globally and is projected to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2040. Kidney Research UK estimates\u00a0that around\u00a07.2m people have <\/a>CKD in the UK<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

The\u00a0research\u00a0follows a major report\u00a0published by Kidney Research\u00a0UK in 2023\u00a0that\u00a0identified\u00a0kidney disease\u00a0was\u00a0growing so rapidly\u00a0it had\u00a0had become a UK public\u00a0health\u00a0emergency\u00a0that\u00a0threatened to\u00a0overwhelm the\u00a0NHS by\u00a02033.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\t

Early diagnosis is critical<\/h2>\r\n

Early diagnosis of CKD is critical for treatment success, and the condition can be detected using a simple and affordable urine test; however, the test isn’t routinely used across all healthcare settings, and often only when kidney disease has already progressed. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

People with mild to moderate CKD can often appear healthy and well. Symptoms<\/a> in the\u00a0early stages\u00a0(such as itchy skin, tiredness, nausea, difficulty concentrating,\u00a0being\u00a0out of breath, poor appetite, increased need to urinate, blood in urine), can also be mistaken for other health concerns.\u00a0Symptoms may develop only in the most severe stages,\u00a0or\u00a0at\u00a0the worst, when\u00a0the kidneys\u00a0have failed\u00a0and only\u00a0dialysis or kidney transplant\u00a0can keep the patient alive. \u00a0The lack of early\u00a0symptoms\u00a0likely contributes\u00a0to low rates of diagnosis and awareness.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The\u00a0research\u00a0outlines\u00a0that\u00a0in\u00a0high income countries\u00a0like the\u00a0UK,\u00a0an estimated 30-50% of CKD cases are not diagnosed\u00a0early enough to receive timely\u00a0intervention. And the percentage of undiagnosed cases in middle and lower-income countries is\u00a0thought to be much higher.\u00a0In some groups, the percentage of\u00a0late\u00a0diagnosis\u00a0is particularly high:\u00a0white men were found to be\u00a0up\u00a0to\u00a0twice as likely to receive\u00a0a timely\u00a0diagnosis as women and people from other ethnic groups.\u00a0A study in the US has shown that\u00a0even among individuals who do have a diagnosis of CKD in their medical record, 9 in 10 are unaware they have the condition.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Despite being recognised by both the United Nations and the\u00a0World Health Organization\u00a0as a major global health concern in recent years, progress in improving the diagnosis of CKD\u00a0remains\u00a0slow.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\t\t\t\t\"Jennifer