Screening for kidney disease at 45 may save hundreds of individuals from deadly heart conditions, experts claim

Testing at age 45 for early signs of kidney disease could save tons of of hundreds of individuals from deadly heart conditions, experts have warned.

A study shows that offering all patients who’ve diabetes and hypertension a blood test for the condition could prevent nearly 170,000 heart attacks and 109,000 strokes over the following decade.

People with these conditions have an increased risk of kidney disease, which is closely linked to heart disease. But hundreds are diagnosed too late to profit from latest treatments. Now considered one of the study’s authors has called on the NHS to expand screening for kidney disease to all adults.

‘We strongly imagine screening for kidney disease could change the trajectory of the disease for a lot of patients, saving them from severe outcomes like heart attacks and strokes,’ says Dr Navdeep Tangri, a nephrologist on the University of Manitoba, Canada. ‘Screening at 45 would work best because that is the age the disease starts to point out up.’

The study comes days after a landmark trial concluded that the load loss drug referred to as Ozempic or Wegovy can significantly slow progression of kidney disease and slash the danger of heart disease.

Experts say the drug, which incorporates the energetic ingredient semaglutide, shall be one other addition to a growing collection of treatments which might slow kidney disease.

Until around a decade ago there have been no medicines which could halt its progress, meaning most patients would eventually need the time-consuming blood cleansing treatment dialysis, or a kidney transplant.

‘Prior to 2014, we had no drugs for this disease,’ says Dr Tangri. ‘So there wasn’t much point in diagnosing it early. However, we at the moment are firmly within the era of chronic kidney disease medicines. It now is sensible to discuss screening.’

Chronic kidney disease occurs when the kidneys – which remove waste products from the blood and produce urine – now not work as they need to. It typically gets worse over time and damage can’t be reversed.

The condition affects about 7.2 million Britons but is predicted to rise by 400,000 in the following decade, driven by the increasing number with hypertension and obesity. As there are sometimes no early symptoms, many is not going to be diagnosed until it has grow to be severe, when they could need dialysis. But The Mail on Sunday has revealed that 40 per cent of those with hypertension and diabetes will not be offered a straightforward urine test by their GP which might discover kidney problems early.

The latest study, presented yesterday on the European Renal Association Congress, modelled the impact of using a urine and a blood test to examine newly diagnosed diabetes and hypertension patients for signs of kidney disease.

Researchers then predicted the impact of giving effective drugs to those diagnosed with kidney damage, including empagliflozin and dapagliflozin, that are shown to chop the danger of progression and death by nearly a 3rd.

The research, funded by the British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca, concluded that the move could save the NHS £2.7 billion over the following ten years primarily by avoiding the high cost of dialysis and kidney transplants.

Experts say the findings open up the potential of testing the broader population – including otherwise healthy people.

‘To me, kidney disease screening’s a slam dunk,’ says Dr Tangri. ‘The next step is to discuss universal screening of everyone above a certain age, whether it’s 40, 45 or 50.’

Fiona Loud, policy director of Kidney Care UK, said the NHS must first speed up diagnosis of high-risk patients.

‘It’s clear those most prone to kidney disease aren’t tested in a timely manner,’ she said.

‘Population screening is an enchanting idea, as age is considered one of the largest risk aspects.

‘But we must ensure those most in peril of getting severely unwell are picked up sooner first.’