Recognising the Cruciality of Testing and Detection in Addressing Kidney Disease

In Europe, around 100 million people suffer from kidney disease, and some 300 million are at risk of developing a kidney condition. Often-seen but frequently insufficiently addressed risk factors – such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes – can contribute to the onset of kidney disease, which may progress to kidney failure.

To turn the tide of the rising incidence of kidney disease in Europe and worldwide, screening and early detection are key. If diagnosed timely, and with consideration of co-occurring conditions that can increase risks to kidney health, such as cardiovascular diseases or diabetes, kidney disease may be addressed, preventing suffering for patients and others, and easing the financial burden that the treatment of kidney disease places on healthcare systems.

Kidney disease stands as the 9th leading cause of death globally and may become the 5th leading cause of death by 2050.[1] It is not uncommon for many patients to be hospitalised and undergo surgical interventions over 20 times in the course of their disease, as a result of complications that can include cardiovascular conditions and infections.[2] Moreover, chronic kidney disease, as one in a group of (non-)communicable (chronic) conditions, can be exacerbated by infectious diseases, cancers, and (in women) pre-eclampsia.[3] Looking beyond the considerable negative impact that kidney disease has on patients, the condition places a burden on healthcare systems, as well: as of the late 2010s, kidney replacement therapy to manage chronic kidney disease was associated with reimbursements of up to €80,000 per patient in Europe.[4]

EKHA’s recent European Kidney Forum, organised in the European Parliament in Brussels and co-hosted by Members of the European Parliament Tomislav Sokol (EPP, Croatia), András Kulja (EPP, Hungary) and Hilde Vautmans (Renew, Belgium), saw healthcare professionals, European Union policymakers, patient advocates and others – including Turkish-Danish television personality Tülin Sahin, who shared a powerful testimonial of her experience with kidney disease in her family – come together to explore and highlight the crucial value of screening and detection in addressing kidney disease in Europe. On Thursday 13 March, EKHA will mark World Kidney Day, that this year focuses on the role of testing and detection in preventing chronic kidney disease. This year, World Kidney Day will once again underline the need for continued action to improve kidney health in Europe and globally, and EKHA will be pleased to join the international kidney health and care community in recognising this valuable annual awareness day.

[1] European Kidney Health Alliance (2024) Kidney Manifesto – An EU strategy to improve kidney care during the 2024-2029 mandate. https://ekha.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/EKHA_Manifesto_Jan25_v1.1.pdf

[2] Vanholder R, Annemans L, Bello AK et al. (2021) Fighting the unbearable lightness of neglecting kidney health: the decade of the kidney. Clin Kidney J 14:1719–1730. https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fckj%2Fsfab070

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.