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To address the global burden of chronic kidney disease patient perspectives has been put into action.

“(CKD) is a huge lifestyle change for me and my wife isn’t taking it very well. I’m a chef by trade and we love to eat… I love life more than I love food though”

More than 9 million people living with CKD have progressed to kidney failure, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant, at an estimated annual cost between $35,000 and $100,000 per patient. By 2040, CKD is expected to become the world’s 5th leading cause of mortality. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious, progressive condition and under-recognised public health problem, affecting nearly 840 million people worldwide. When kidney function declines, other health conditions also worsen.A diagnosis of CKD can drastically affect the lives of both patients and their loved ones. The disease can lead to serious complications such as anaemia and hyperkalaemia, which are associated with increased risk of mortality. As no cure currently exists, there is a critical need for early detection and improved treatment options.

The urgency to understand the challenges of living with chronic kidney disease

CKD can have a profound impact on a patient’s personal life, including social, economic and physical effects. As a treating nephrologist and now while working at AstraZeneca, I believe it is critical that we step up to address the direct and indirect burden CKD patients are facing more fully. However, to truly put patients first, we needed to hear from them directly. Developed by AstraZeneca, the CKD-Personal Impact Index, a global analysis of the impact of CKD on people living with this condition, is helping us better understand and measure the day-to-day impact of the disease and its complications beyond standard Quality of Life analyses.

The CKD-Personal Impact Index

According to the CKD-Personal Impact Index, approximately half of patients with CKD report that their daily activities are highly impacted by the disease and its complications. This impact is even greater for patients on dialysis (58%) and those with a kidney transplant (82%). The impact of CKD on a patient’s daily activities comes on swiftly once diagnosed, with 71% of respondents reporting an impact within the first six months after diagnosis. CKD’s impact on overall quality of life is perceived similarly, with 56% of patients reporting it has an extreme impact on quality of life, which is again higher for those on dialysis (61% vs. 50%) and those with a kidney transplant (73% vs. 53%). Financial, employment and professional time factors were deemed to have the strongest influence on patients’ overall quality of life. Data was collected through a global social media landscape assessment, including blogs and social networks, in addition to in-depth telephone interviews and a quantitative survey. With participants from China, Brazil, Sweden, the US, and the UK, the CKD-Personal Impact Index evaluated both global and regional perspectives and revealed critical issues and unmet patient needs. We believe that the insights we have uncovered through this analysis will help improve understanding of the disease burden and secondary complications, raise awareness of the deeper impact of CKD and lead the way to developing tangible and realistic solutions. Most burdensome personal attributes of CKD by percentage of patients who participated in the research who reported a somewhat or extreme impact to the daily activity

AstraZeneca’s commitment in CKD

At AstraZeneca, we know that helping patients manage CKD includes incorporating a holistic approach to care, which includes discovering the commonalities between cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, including CKD. We are exploring solutions across the full continuum of CKD care, from prevention and protection before a CKD diagnosis, to slowing disease progression and managing serious complications across all stages of disease after diagnosis. We aim not only to bring CKD and its associated complications to the medical forefront, but also offer patients new methods to improve their journey beyond one specific disease. The CKD-Personal Impact Index is an important tool in the pursuit of our ambition to transform CKD management and help people live longer, healthier lives. We want to give a voice to this silent disease by raising awareness of the patient experience and improving communication with patients, communities, clinicians, and policymakers.