Chronic kidney disease has been named the ninth leading cause of death worldwide.
Record numbers of men and women are currently estimated to have reduced kidney function, according to new research following a study published in the journal The Lancet.
Researchers from NYU Langone Health, the University of Glasgow and the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) analyzed the rise of kidney disease worldwide.
They examined 2,230 published articles and health datasets from 133 countries, looking for diagnoses, mortality rates and the disability toll from the disease.
From 1990 to 2023, cases rose from 378 million to 788 million, placing the disease among the top 10 deadliest diseases in the world for the first time.
The research, conducted as part of the Global Burden of Disease 2023 study, also found that approximately 14% of the world’s adult population has chronic kidney disease. In 2023, approximately 1.5 million people will die from kidney disease, an increase of more than 6% since 1993.
Most people in the study were in the early stages of the disease, which can be improved with medications and lifestyle changes before dialysis or surgery becomes necessary, the researchers noted.
The study, presented last week at the American Society of Nephrology’s annual Kidney Week conference, marks “the most comprehensive estimate of the condition in nearly a decade,” the authors said.
Chronic kidney disease causes the kidneys to lose the ability to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood, explains NYU Langone.
Mild cases may show no symptoms, but cases in the most advanced stages may require dialysis, kidney replacement therapy, or an organ transplant.
Impaired kidney function has also been identified as a major risk factor for heart disease, contributing to approximately 12% of global cardiovascular deaths.
The biggest risk factors for kidney disease, based on the study results, include high blood sugar, high blood pressure and a high body mass index (BMI).
Co-senior author of the study, Josef Coresh, MD, Ph.D., director of the Optimal Aging Institute at NYU Langone, said these results classify chronic kidney disease as “common, fatal, and increasingly worse as a major public health problem.”
“These findings support efforts to recognize the condition alongside cancer, heart disease and mental health problems as a key priority for policymakers around the world,” he said in a statement.
Study co-lead author Morgan Grams, MD, Ph.D., the Susan and Morris Mark Professor of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, also noted that chronic kidney disease is “underdiagnosed and undertreated.”
“Our report underscores the need for more urine testing to detect the disease early and the need to ensure patients can afford and access therapy once they are diagnosed,” she wrote.
New medications have recently become available that may slow the progression of the disease and reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure, although it may take some time to see the global impact, Grams added.
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel, commented on the “dramatic increase” in an interview with Fox News Digital, agreeing that kidney disease is “greatly underestimated and underdiagnosed,” partly due to the lack of symptoms in the early stages.
“The kidneys are waste filters and managers of electrolytes and acid-base balance,” says Siegel, who was not involved in the study. “They are very sensitive to changes in blood pressure and blood flow, and if damaged can lead to loss of proteins and electrolytes.”
“High blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and low blood pressure all affect basic kidney function, so there is a high rate of secondary kidney disease and kidney failure in addition to primary damage to the kidneys themselves,” the doctor added.
Siegel urged doctors to be more aware of kidney function and the impact of certain medications.
This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Gates Foundation and the National Kidney Foundation.
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