Kidney Research UK

Charity launches campaign to warn 1 in 10 people have Chronic Kidney Disease

Up to one in ten people in the UK could be suffering from some degree of Chronic Kidney Disease - and many of them don't even know it, Britain's leading kidney charity warned today.

Kidney Research UK (formerly The National Kidney Research Fund) is launching a national campaign, backed by a host of celebrities, to raise awareness of the groups most at risk from the disease and to encourage earlier detection of kidney problems.

The stark statistic follows the publication of several recent studies, both worldwide and in the UK, looking at the prevalence of kidney disease in general populations. With the numbers of people suffering from total kidney failure also continuing to soar, some experts fear an epidemic may be on the cards.

Although Chronic Kidney Disease alone is not life threatening in its early stages, people with some forms of CKD - however mild - are at a far higher risk of progressing to total kidney failure. Any presence of kidney disease is also known to have important consequences for health and life expectancy, and is a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.

In the UK alone, the number of people experiencing total kidney failure is rising by around eight percent annually and the number of people requiring renal treatment is expected to rise by at least thirty percent within the next decade. Already, treating patients for kidney disease costs the NHS 2% of its total budget. There is no cure for kidney failure and thousands of people die from the disease each year. The only treatments available are either dialysis - whereby a patient is tied to a machine for several hours and days each week - or transplantation for which there is a huge shortage.

In response, Kidney Research UK is calling for a greater focus on preventative action and a greater awareness of the disease for those most at risk. Stars such as Fern Britton, Lucy Davis, Eamonn Holmes, ITN's Nick Owen and Rosemary Connelly have all pledged their support to the campaign, to reinforce the message that early detection can protect the kidney from further damage, and help prevent the possible onset of kidney failure.

Although kidney disease can affect anyone of any age - including children - some groups are more at risk than others. This includes people with high blood pressure, diabetics, the elderly, and people from Minority Ethnic groups. We need to promote initiatives for identifying these "at-risk" groups and make them aware of the signs of CKD to minimise the risk of kidney failure.

Symptoms of kidney disease include tiredness and fatigue, itching, vomiting and bloating. A check of kidney function can be done by GP's by taking a measurement of blood pressure, a blood test and a simple dip test of the urine to give an indication of whether renal problems are present. However, evidence from the UK suggests that non-referral even of advanced CKD is not unusual. Up to a third of patients needing dialysis only become aware of a problem a few weeks before urgent treatment has to be started.

Professor Charles Pusey, Chairman of Kidney Research UK says, "The huge rise of people with kidney disease in the UK poses a very real and alarming threat. Over the last forty years, Kidney Research UK has helped develop crucial scientific breakthroughs in the fields of dialysis and transplantation, but the real challenge now lies in the prevention, recognition and effective treatment of the disease in it's early stages. There is an urgent need for more research into the mechanisms of kidney injury and more clinical trials to find new ways to treat the disease before it reaches endemic proportions."

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Notes to Editors

1. Kidney Research UK officially changes its name to Kidney Research UK on October 11th 2005.
2. For over 40 years, it has been the UK's leading kidney charity, funding research into the prevention, treatment, and management of kidney diseases. It also dedicates its work to patient care and educational initiatives.
3. Around 34,000 people are currently being treated for renal failure, a number that is rising by 8% annually.
4. The only treatments currently available for renal failure are dialysis, where a patient is tied to a machine for several hours a day and several days a week, or transplantation, for which there is a huge shortage available.