| 05 Mars 2018
Analysis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) revealed that the UK has the highest rate of diagnosis for early stage CKD out of the five major European markets (5EU*), according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
CKD, also known as chronic renal disease, is an asymptomatic, long-term condition that damages the kidneys and leads to the loss of kidney function over time. As the disease progresses, the symptoms worsen, eventually leading to kidney failure. CKD is classified into five distinct classes depending on the level of impairment to normal kidney function, with the later stages signifying the worst kidney damage, and stage 5 considered to be end stage renal disease.
GlobalData epidemiologists forecast that there were 43,236,031 total cases of CKD stage I-III in the 5EU, in 2016, of which only 16,280,379 (37.65%) were diagnosed. The UK accounted for 18,703,816 of the total prevalent cases, in 2016, of which 13,095,993 (70.02%) were diagnosed. CKD often goes undiagnosed in the earliest stages, as kidney function impairment and the associated symptoms are minimal. This creates a significant healthcare challenge that should be addressed in order to prevent end stage renal disease through improved diagnosis and treatment of early stage CKD.
* 5EU: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and UK
