The importance of earlier detection in CKD
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major global health issue – affecting an estimated 1 in 10 people – yet it is frequently overlooked on health agendas worldwide. In its early stages, CKD is often asymptomatic, and many individuals are unaware that they have CKD until the disease has progressed to later stages, where it becomes harder and more costly to treat – with patients facing the prospect of dialysis or kidney transplant. This makes early CKD detection critical to improving patient outcomes and reducing the growing health and economic burden of CKD worldwide. Recognising this, the World Kidney Day campaign this year is centred around the theme: “Detect early, protect kidney health.”
Preventing complications through earlier diagnosis
CKD is a “disease-multiplier” – significantly increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions. Early detection through routine CKD screening for high-risk groups – such as those with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or a family history of kidney disease – may be particularly beneficial in enabling timely interventions that reduce the risk of complications, whilst also reducing the overall health and economic CKD burden on patients and healthcare systems. Simple tests like blood pressure measurements, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) screenings can be used to identify CKD before it progresses to later stages.
The growing burden of CKD
If current trends continue, the impact of CKD is projected to rise significantly in the coming years. In partnership with AstraZeneca on the Inside CKD workstream within the wider Accelerate Change Together (ACT) on CKD programme, HealthLumen projected the future health and economic burden of CKD from 2022 to 2027 across 31 countries and regions using our microsimulation modelling capabilities. The study found that CKD prevalence is projected to increase by 5.8% by 2027, impacting 436.6 million people.
The study also found that, although patients requiring KRT are expected to represent just 5.3% of the CKD population by 2027, they were projected to account for nearly 46% of total CKD-related costs – quantitatively demonstrating that investing in CKD prevention is key to avoiding significant future economic strains on healthcare systems and governments.
Investing in prevention: Screening as a cost-effective strategy
HealthLumen’s recent study evaluating multinational CKD screening strategies found that screening general populations aged 45 and older, using two eGFR tests and one uACR test, was projected to be a cost-effective strategy across all 31 countries and regions included in the study. Using two eGFR tests alone was also projected to be cost-effective in all but one country. These findings support global guidelines recommending the implementation of CKD screening interventions, and quantify the value of such interventions in improving diagnosis rates and reducing healthcare costs.
Driving policy change for early CKD diagnosis
Studies quantifying the impact of earlier diagnosis on the health and economic burden of CKD can provide clear evidence to help support the case for policy change. Integrating CKD screening into national health strategies, expanding access to testing, and embedding CKD testing within other chronic disease programs may be critical steps in preventing late-stage disease cases – which will improve patient outcomes while also alleviating the rising health and financial strain of CKD on healthcare systems worldwide.
