Chronic kidney disease has more than DOUBLED since 1990 to 800 million, experts discover: 'It's a growing global health crisis'

Cases of chronic kidney disease have more than doubled in just three decades, concerning research has suggested.

The condition, which causes the kidneys to gradually stop working, is already thought to contribute to 45,000 deaths in the UK alone.

But US researchers, who assessed more than 2,000 data sets, found 800 million adults worldwide are now estimated to be living with the incurable condition that can prove fatal.

An increase in diabetes diagnoses, obesity and high blood pressure are believed to partly be driving the rise, the scientists said.

Yet, of the 14 risk factors for the condition, many including low fruit and vegetable intake and high salt consumption, are preventable, they added.

China and India, two of the world's largest populations, accounted for the highest proportion of chronic kidney disease cases.

However, the condition has become more widespread in smaller nations including Vietnam, Japan and Turkey, experts warned.

Lauryn Stafford, a senior population health researcher at the University of Washington and study co-author, said: 'Chronic kidney disease is a growing global health crisis, yet much of its impact is preventable.'

Dr Theo Vos, a public health expert at the University of Washington and study co-author, said: 'Chronic kidney disease is both a major risk factor for other leading causes of health loss and a significant disease burden in its own right.

'Yet it continues to receive far less policy attention than other non-communicable disease, even as its impact grows fastest in regions already acting the greatest health inequalities.'

The researchers found that in 2023, the disease was now the ninth-leading cause of death globally, claiming nearly 1.5million lives, overtaking conditions including tuberculosis.

But unlike most other leading causes of death, like heart disease or stroke, death rates had increased since 1990.

Most of the 800 million patients were in the early stages of the disease, the scientists also discovered.

This highlights the importance of screening programmes and treatments including blood pressure management, they said.

China and India had 152million and 138million cases respectively.

But countries including the US, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Turkey each also reported more than 10million adults living with chronic kidney disease.

Experts have previously warned that the danger of the condition is that in most cases it has no symptoms until the kidneys are close to failing — by which point it is often too late for treatment.

Such symptoms can include fatigue, swollen ankles, feet or hands, shortness of breath, cause and blood in the urine.

Once kidney damage sets in, it cannot be reversed meaning prevention — or catching the disease early — has long been the only defence.

While there is no cure for the disease, treatment can help relieve symptoms.

These include lifestyle changes and medicines to control associated problems such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Many patients also end up on dialysis several times a week and some need a kidney transplant.

Dialysis, which works by replicating some of the kidney functions by filtering waste and excess fluid from the body, is one of the NHS's biggest expenses, forecast to hit £13billion a year by the end of the decade.

Ultimately, kidney failure can trigger fatal heart attacks and strokes.

The condition, experts believe, has been driven by a surge in diabetes cases as well as obesity, high blood pressure — known medically as hypertension — and high cholesterol.

Figures suggest around 40 per cent of diabetics going on to develop kidney disease.

Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to keep blood sugar levels stable—either because the body cannot make the hormone insulin, or it doesn't make enough it.

Without enough insulin, the level of glucose in the blood can become too high, which can damage the kidneys, which are forced to work overtime to flush out excess sugar, or glucose.

Chronic kidney disease has also been linked to long-term painkiller use, with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like aspirin and ibuprofen putting an untold strain on the kidneys.

The danger comes from how the drug is processed by the body, irritating the stomach lining and increasing the risk of peritonitis which, left untreated can damage the internal organs including the kidneys.

Previously, experts have called for targeted testing for early signs of kidney disease from the age of 45, saying it could save hundred of thousands of people from deadly heart conditions.