Scientists named the age after which kidneys begin to fail

In people over 65, the likelihood of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) reaches 40–50%, and in patients with diabetes mellitus it occurs even more frequently. Oleg Kotenko, professor at the Department of General Therapy at Pirogov University and chief nephrologist of Moscow, told Gazeta.Ru about this.

Chronic kidney disease is a functional condition that develops against the background of any nephrological disorder. The kidneys gradually and, what is particularly alarming, irreversibly lose their ability to effectively filter blood. This leads to the accumulation of toxins and serious disruptions in the functioning of the entire body.

"CKD can develop as an outcome of diabetes mellitus, or arterial hypertension, or chronic heart failure. A person's age also contributes to the progression of chronic kidney disease. This is related to the fact that over time, the active portion of the kidneys decreases, and therefore CKD occurs significantly more often with age. And in our time, patients have simply begun living long enough to reach the point when the functional capacity of their kidneys starts to decline," the doctor explained.

Global statistics point to the scale of the problem: every tenth person on the planet suffers from chronic kidney disease to some degree. At the same time, the distribution of the disease is extremely uneven.

"For example, in people over 65, the likelihood of developing CKD reaches 40–50%; in patients with diabetes mellitus, CKD develops more frequently. These facts must be taken into account; among these risk groups, there will certainly be more patients. However, due both to the general aging of the population and to improved survival rates of patients with diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases, including chronic heart failure, the rate of CKD detection is growing and will continue to grow. All of the listed factors, taking into account others, even if less significant ones — such as excessive consumption of products with high preservative content — allow us to call CKD the 'disease of the century,'" the doctor concluded.