Chronic Kidney Disease Joins Ranks of World's Top Killers

A new global study warns that chronic kidney disease is quietly becoming a major public health crisis, with cases worldwide more than doubling in the past three decades.

• The number of cases rose from 378 million in 1990 to 788 million in 2023, placing CKD among the top 10 causes of death globally, according to researchers from NYU Langone Health, the University of Glasgow, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. It's now No. 9, up from No. 27 in 1990, reports the New York Times. People living longer, along with better awareness of CKD among doctors, are seen as factors in the spike.
• The study, published in the Lancet, estimates that about 14% of adults now live with the disease, in which the kidneys lose their ability to clear the body of waste. CKD is blamed for 1.5 million deaths last year, a 6% increase in the death rate since 1993 after adjusting for population aging.

• "Our work shows that chronic kidney disease is common, deadly, and getting worse as a major public health issue," says study co-author Josef Coresh of NYU Langone's Optimal Aging Institute in a news release. "These findings support efforts to recognize the condition alongside cancer, heart disease, and mental health concerns as a major priority for policymakers around the world."
• The condition is also now a leading contributor to heart disease, accounting for roughly 12% of cardiovascular deaths worldwide.
• High blood sugar, high blood pressure, and obesity were identified as the main risk factors. CKD often goes undetected in its early stages, but advanced cases can require dialysis or a kidney transplant. "We should be doing a better job of identifying individuals at risk and intervening," Dr. Susan Quaggin of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine tells the Times.

• The World Health Organization has added CKD to its list of health priorities, aiming to reduce early deaths from noncontagious diseases by a third before 2030. Access to treatment, however, remains highly unequal. In lower-income regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, many people cannot afford or access dialysis or transplants.
• The report also notes that several new medications introduced in the past five years can slow the progression of CKD and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, but it may be years before these benefits are seen on a global scale.