Impaired kidney function is a strong risk factor for increased morbidity and premature death. Most people are unaware of their kidney disease or impaired kidney function, even though both high blood pressure and diabetes increase the risk of kidney damage.
Triggering events could be infections for acquired immune-mediated inflammatory kidney diseases in genetically predisposed individuals. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was discovered that this viral infection increases the risk of kidney damage and impaired function. However, the mechanisms behind this are still insufficiently researched.
The treatments that are available today are focused on better control of blood pressure and diabetes in risk groups, and anti-inflammatory drugs, such as glucocorticoids, in immune-mediated kidney diseases. The latter are associated with many side effects and are not always effective. Kidney research at LiU therefore focuses on finding new, more effective and more specific treatments.
CKD and its underlying causes are complex diseases with a lack of clinical studies. In relation to cancer, there is a lack of funding for kidney disease research. It was recently shown that approximately 960 dollars are allocated to research per cancer patient, as compared to about 18 dollars invested in studying patients with kidney disease.
Kidney Disease
10% of the global population have signs and symptoms of a kidney disease and or impaired kidney function defined as