Kidney disease in the UK today

The date: March 2008

The lives of over 3 million people in the UK today are under threat from chronic kidney disease

40,000 people are undergoing dialysis or transplant treatment for kidney failure

It is estimated that in excess of 13,000 people die each year of illnesses and conditions which affect the kidneys


Of the 7,242 people on the organ waiting list, 6,475 of them need a kidney

By contrast, only about 1,700 kidney transplants are carried out each year

So each year, less than a third of people get the kidney transplant that they need. This compares with the 43% of people waiting for other organs

Uncontrolled, or poorly controlled, high blood pressure can cause chronic kidney failure. People of South Asian and African Caribbean origin are three to five times more susceptible to kidney disease

14% of those receiving dialysis or transplantation are Black or Asian

Diabetes is the single largest cause of kidney failure.


The number of cases of kidney cancer has risen by 68% in the last 20 years

Every 90 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with kidney cancer