Chronic Kidney Disease
Understanding what CKD is, what causes it, and its global & local impact.
What is Chronic Kidney Disease?
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a condition in which the kidneys are damaged or do not work as well as they should for at least three months.
When kidney function decreases, waste and extra fluid may build up. Some people develop kidney failure and need dialysis or a kidney transplant, but not everyone with CKD reaches that stage.
What Causes CKD?
The main causes of CKD include:
Diabetes
High blood sugar over many years can damage the microscopic filtering blood vessels inside the kidneys.
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
Uncontrolled high blood pressure strains and damages kidney blood vessels, diminishing their ability to filter blood efficiently.
Other Contributing Causes
Kidney inflammation (glomerulonephritis), inherited kidney disorders (such as polycystic kidney disease), recurrent kidney infections, urinary blockage, and prolonged use of certain nephrotoxic medicines or substances.
Philippine Renal Disease Registry (2023–2025)
Registry data recorded hypertensive nephrosclerosis (34.1%) and diabetic nephropathy (30.4%) as the leading causes among registered kidney-failure patients.
* Note: These figures describe registered patients with kidney failure, not all Filipinos living with CKD.788M
Adults Worldwide Living with CKD
A Global Burden of Disease analysis estimated that ~788 million adults (~14% of the global adult population) had CKD in 2023, ranking it as the 9th leading cause of death globally.
~7M
Filipinos Estimated with CKD
Over 64,000 individuals received dialysis in 2024. PhilHealth cited CKD as the 5th leading cause of death in the Philippines in 2021 (historical ranking).