How common is CKD?
About 1 in 10 people have CKD, i.e. its very common. But (the big BUT). Fortunately in most people, it is mild and more of a risk factor than disease.
However, in 1 in 100 people with CKD, kidney function gets worse over time, and develop kidney failure (stage 5 CKD). They will then need dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Age is the primary risk factor for CKD:
- CKD is present in 1 out of 2 people over 75 years. In many of these it is really part of the ageing process and not a disease
- For example, many doctors think people lose 1ml/min of GFR for each year after the age of 40. So it your GFR is 90ml/min at 40 (normal), it could be under 60 mi./min (i.e. the computer will say you have CKD3B) at 70 years – but there is nothing wrong with you, and you do not have CKD at all
“CKD is not just a number. It needs a full medical assessment and other tests (BP, urine protein and kidney ultrasound) to make a definite diagnosis”
- It is less common in young adults, being present in 1 in 50 people
- The average age range of starting dialysis is 60-65 years old.
Approximately 70,000 people in the UK are on dialysis or have a transplant, i.e. 1 in 1000 people. This means that each GP will have two such patients ‘on their books’. This is why they cannot be experts on it.
Summary
We have described how common is CKD. Mild CKD is quite common though not necessarily a disease. Bad CKD is not common. We hope this has been helpful.
Other resource
This is a video about this question that one of the editors has made with Darren, the Tik Tok Kidney Warrior.
https://www.tiktok.com/@ttkwarrior/video/7299531496702872864?lang=en
Last Reviewed on 2 May 2024