We believe in sharing important data about kidney disease in the UK, especially when it increases awareness that kidney health is strongly influenced by people's backgrounds.
A 2018 document published by Kidney Research UK, written by UKKA members and staff, highlighted how kidney disease is more likely, progresses faster, and is associated with earlier death amongst people from more deprived backgrounds. It also progresses faster in people from Black, Asian and UK minority ethnic populations, who are also less likely to receive a transplant. Women are more likely to get kidney disease, but men are more likely to start dialysis. Older people are less likely to receive a transplant.
Organisations like the UKKA were advised in the report to make reporting and analysis of inequalities in kidney care part of their role and so we continue to do so.
Reporting of these disparities is the purpose of these documents. We use the term ‘disparities’ for this report because it only looks at differences in the care and outcomes of patient groups. We are not able to provide insight on whether care and outcomes would be equal or fair, if all differences between the groups were considered.
Age disparities
Sex disparities
Ethnicity disparities
Socioeconomic disparities
In line with our commitment to share critical data on kidney disease disparities in the UK, our latest report focuses on the inequity of access to the kidney transplant waiting list. Building upon insights from previous studies such as ATTOM and the previous UKKA annual report chapter, this report emphasises the importance of examining disparities due to clinical implications and public interest. Unlike the UKKA Disparities Reports and UKKA Annual Reports, this standalone study employs statistical models to evaluate access to the kidney waiting list, allowing for deeper examination and comparison of all differences between demographic groups.