Healthcare (Commonwealth Union) – Numerous factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and other have been known to contribute to kidney disease.
Millions of people worldwide are at risk due to the widespread underdiagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD), which has now become the ninth leading cause of death globally. Experts say this situation could be improved through greater use of a straightforward urine test.
This urgent healthcare warning comes from a landmark series of studies published in The Lancet by an international team of researchers, who are urging a renewed emphasis on diagnosing and treating CKD.
Chronic kidney disease—a long-term condition in which the kidneys gradually lose function—currently affects around 844 million adults worldwide and is expected to rise to the fifth leading cause of death by 2040. In the UK alone, roughly 7.2 million people are estimated to have the condition.
Detecting CKD early is essential for effective treatment, and a simple, cost-effective urine test can identify the disease. Yet, this test is not routinely offered in all healthcare settings, often being used only after kidney damage has already advanced.
In the early and moderate stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) most people have few or no symptoms. Symptoms of the disease often don’t appear until it’s in the late stages, when dialysis or a kidney transplant is typically necessary. If CKD is left untreated it can be fatal.
The lack of any apparent symptoms probably accounts for the underdiagnosis and poor understanding of this condition. In high-income countries such as the UK, it is estimated that 30–50% of CKD cases are missed by healthcare professionals; rates are believed to be much higher in middle and low-income countries. And some groups are hit especially hard: non-white people and women could be up to twice as likely as white men to go undiagnosed. Even among those formally diagnosed, about 9 in 10 are unaware of their condition.
Although CKD has been recognised as a major global health challenge by both the United Nations and the World Health Organization in recent years, progress in improving early diagnosis remains slow.
A new series of landmark studies, led by Dr. Jennifer Lees of the University of Glasgow and involving an international team of researchers, highlights the full impact of CKD on healthcare systems. The papers detail the disease’s widespread underdiagnosis, its complications, and the serious risks associated with delayed treatment.
Dr. Jennifer Lees, Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow and Honorary Consultant Nephrologist at NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, indicated that chronic kidney disease continues to be one of the most significant threats to global health. She further indicated that the key message emerging from our research series is that this condition urgently requires greater attention, investment, and healthcare resources to improve outcomes for patients.
“There is huge potential to improve early diagnosis, treatment and healthy lifespan by testing urine for protein routinely across a range of healthcare settings. This may be particularly important in those most at risk of under diagnosis, including non-white populations and women.”
The three studies also provide an in-depth look at recent progress in chronic kidney disease (CKD), including a growing understanding of the condition, its impact on global health, and the new possibilities emerging from advances in treatment. The papers examine differences in how CKD is diagnosed and managed in men and women, while also stressing the importance of coordinated strategies for prevention and care across diverse healthcare environments.
Alison Railton, Policy Director at Kidney Research UK, indicated that Kidney Research UK has demonstrated that failing to tackle the diagnosis crisis in the UK could leave up to 650,000 additional people affected by advanced chronic kidney disease, while the annual economic burden of CKD could nearly double to a staggering £13.9 billion by 2033.
