New Delhi: India had the second-highest number of people with chronic kidney disease in 2023 at 138 million, following China at 152 million, according to a global study published in The Lancet journal.
The condition was the ninth-leading cause of death and claimed nearly 15 lakh lives globally the same year, researchers led by those at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington and other institutes in the US and UK found.
The highest prevalence was seen in North Africa and the Middle East at 18 per cent each, nearly 16 per cent in South Asia and over 15 per cent in each of Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Chronic kidney disease is a major contributor to heart disease and accounted for almost 12 per cent of cardiovascular deaths around the world in 2023. It ranked as the seventh leading cause for heart-related mortality, ahead of diabetes and obesity, the team said.
Fourteen risk factors for chronic kidney disease were detailed in the study, with diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity driving the highest loss in healthy living.
“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 diseases, even as its impact grows fastest in regions already facing the greatest health inequities,” senior author Theo Vos, professor emeritus at IHME, said.
The researchers analysed data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study, tracking trends in disease, injuries and health risk factors across 204 countries and territories from 1990 through 2023. The IHME coordinates the GBD study.
Dietary factors, such as a low intake of fruits and vegetables and a high consumption of sodium, also made substantial contributions towards one’s risk of chronic kidney disease, they said.
The authors said that in 2023, most people with chronic kidney disease were in the early stages, highlighting the importance of screening programmes and strategies addressing disease risk.
The measures can help reduce heart-related deaths due to kidney disease and delay one’s requirement of replacement therapies, usually seen in advanced stages of the disease, the team said.
Because access to kidney replacement therapies, including dialysis and transplantation, remains limited and uneven worldwide, a greater emphasis is needed on preventing disease progression and ensuring equitable care, they added.
Improving access to diagnosis and affordable care, tackling key risk factors, and investing in strategies that prevent the disease from advancing will be essential to address the growing burden of chronic kidney disease on patients, families, and health systems worldwide, the researchers said.
