Nearly 73,000 adults in the UK are receiving kidney replacement therapy (KRT) for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).
‘KRT’ includes patients on dialysis and those living with a kidney transplant.
Source: 27th Annual UK Kidney Association (UKKA) Report, 2023 – the most recent UK data available.
Patients on Kidney Replacement Therapy in the UK
As of 31 December 2023, there were 72,708 adults receiving KRT in the UK. This represents a 2.5% increase compared with 2022, continuing the steady growth seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- This equates to 1,342 people per million population, up from 1,322 per million in 2022.
- The median age of patients on KRT was 60 years, showing a gradual rise compared with previous years.
- Men accounted for 61.4% of all KRT patients.
In other words ..
- I.e. about 1 in 750 people. This makes it quite rare. And most GPs (with roughly 2000 patients each on their books) will be looking after about 3 patients on dialysis or with a kidney transplant. Not many. This is why their care should largely be led by hospital based kidney doctors (nephrologists) and nurses
Types of Kidney Replacement Therapy
- Kidney transplant: 56.3% (most common treatment)
- In-centre haemodialysis (ICHD): 36.6%
- Peritoneal dialysis (PD): 5.1%
- Home haemodialysis (HHD): 2.0%
Causes and Outcomes
- The most common known cause of kidney failure was glomerulonephritis (19.5%), followed closely by diabetes (18.9%).
- The leading causes of death were:
- Heart disease (23.3%) in patients under 65
- Infections (20.1%) in patients aged 65 and over.
People Living With a Kidney Transplant in the UK
By the end of 2023, 40,958 adults in the UK were living with a functioning kidney transplant, accounting for 56.3% of all KRT patients.
- The median age of transplant recipients was 57 years
- 60.8% were male
Kidney Transplant Activity
- Overall kidney transplant numbers increased by 5% in 2023 compared with 2022
- Transplants from:
- Living kidney donors (LKD) increased by 8%
- Donation after brain death (DBD) decreased by 3%
- Donation after circulatory death (DCD) increased by 11%
But transplant activity has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Kidney Function After Transplant
- Median kidney function (GFR) one year after transplant:
- Living donor: 57.5 mL/min
- Brain-dead donor: 50.1 mL/min
- Circulatory-death donor: 45.6 mL/min
- 16.9% of transplant patients had significantly reduced kidney function (CKD4 or worse, i.e. GFR below 30 mL/min)
- Kidney function declined slowly over time, with a median drop of 0.9 mL/min per year after the first year.
Causes of Death
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The most common cause of death in transplant recipients was infection (21.7%)
Summary
- Nearly 73,000 people in the UK are living with kidney failure and receiving dialysis or a transplant
- Kidney transplantation remains the most common treatment
- The number of patients continues to rise each year, highlighting the growing burden of kidney disease in the UK.
