Kidney disease costs for NHS ‘exceed many common cancers’

Kidney disease costs the NHS more than breast, lung, colon and skin cancer combined each year, according to a new report.

Analysis carried out by NHS Kidney Care has revealed that chronic kidney disease costs the NHS in England more than 1.4 billion pounds each year, exceeding the 1.37 billion pound spend related to the four common cancer types.

It is estimated that one in every 77 pounds spent by the English health service goes towards treating kidney disease and related complications such as heart disease and stroke, with nearly half of the 1.8 billion pound total spent on renal replacement therapy.

Currently, 1.8 million people in England have been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, but it is thought that around one million more may be suffering from the condition without receiving a formal diagnosis.

Dr Donal O'Donoghue, national clinical director for NHS Kidney Care, said: "The NHS has to help clinicians find ways to identify and treat chronic kidney disease at an earlier stage. Failing to do so means we are unable to prevent complications."

Earlier this year, the organisation launched a campaign calling for better standards of inpatient hydration among NHS healthcare institutions, as dehydration is one of the leading causes of acute kidney injury.