AstraZeneca (AZ) has published new data from its IMPACT CKD study, which reveals the increasing number of people being impacted by chronic kidney disease (CKD) across eight countries.
The analysis revealed that up to 16.5% of the population across the US, UK, Brazil, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, China and Australia will suffer from CKD by 2032.
Affecting nearly 850 million people worldwide, CKD is a serious, progressive condition caused by decreased kidney function, commonly caused by diabetes, hypertension and glomerulonephritis.
As part of AZ’s Accelerating Change Together for CKD initiative, the IMPACT CKD study, along with the Global Patient Alliance for Kidney Health, aims to improve the understandings and outcomes of CKD worldwide with the launch of its ‘Make the Change for Kidney Health’ campaign.
The initiative is intended to elevate CKD on the global policy agenda, advocating for comprehensive and effective disease management strategies to combat the escalating health challenge in relation to this condition.
Presented at the 2024 ISN World Congress of Nephrology in Buenos Aires, the study is the first to examine and forecast the multi-dimensional impact of CKD over a ten-year time period across eight countries.
The research estimated that nearly 125 million people across these countries will suffer from advanced CKD by 2032 – a 25% increase since 2022, when the model first began.
In addition, the economic impact of renal replacement therapy, including dialysis and transplant, is predicted to reach approximately $186bn and dialysis requirements are increasing by over 75%, contributing around 17.3 million cars’ worth of CO2 emissions to healthcare’s carbon footprint.
“Our modelling emphasises the enormous impact CKD could have on patients, economies and the environment,” said Ruud Dobber, executive vice president, biopharmaceuticals business unit, AZ.
The company aims to work with “global policymakers to reduce the world-wide impact of end-stage CKD and drive earlier diagnosis and treatment to slow or half the progression of the disease”.
In a recent study funded by Kidney Research UK and published in Diabetes, researchers from the University of Bristol revealed a potential early treatment strategy to prevent or slow down the progression of kidney disease in patients living with diabetes, the current leading cause of kidney failure in the UK.