10 CKD5 facts
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects approximately 7 million (10%) of adults in the UK to some degree. There are 5 stages of CKD from CKD1 (most mild) to CKD5 (most severe)
- Fortunately most CKD cases are mild (Stages 1-3B) and age-related (most of these have no symptoms); with a smaller percentage progressing to moderate-severe CKD (CKD3B-4) or CKD5 (kidney failure; also called ESRF (end-stage renal failure) or ESRD (end-stage renal disease))
- Only 1% of CKD patients eventually develop ESRF and require dialysis or a kidney transplant
- 2 commonest causes of ESRF are: unknown (30%) and diabetes (20%)
- In more advanced CKD – CKD4 and CKD5 (kidney failure) – harmful wastes build up in your body, your blood pressure will rise, and your body retains excess fluid, leading to ankle swelling and shortness of breath (water in the lungs)
- If CKD5 is reached, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant – to replace the work of your failed kidneys.
- In the UK, there are about 70,000 people with ESRF: 40,000 with a kidney transplant, and 30,000 on dialysis – i.e. about 1 in 1000 of the population. There are approximately 7500 new patients with ESRF per year
- This means an average GP will have 2 patients with ESRF
- In the UK approximately 3,300 kidney transplants take place every year. The average wait for a transplant is about two and a half years (but this varies significantly throughout the UK)
- Only 20% of those with ESRF will be fit enough to receive a transplant.
Other resource
10 CKD facts
10 facts about kidneys
