Resolution would elevate kidney disease as a major non-communicable disease alongside heart disease, cancer, and diabetes
Washington, DC (May 27, 2025) - The United States National Kidney Foundation (NKF) strongly supports the resolution under consideration at the 78th World Health Assembly that calls on the World Health Organization (WHO) to formally recognize kidney disease as a global health priority. This resolution, led by Guatemala and co-sponsored by a growing coalition of countries, would add chronic kidney disease (CKD) to the WHO’s list of priority non-communicable diseases (NCDs), placing it alongside cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory conditions.
Comments from Kirk Campbell, MD, President, National Kidney Foundation
“Chronic kidney disease is a silent epidemic that affects more than 850 million people worldwide and contributes to rising rates of disability and premature death. We commend the leadership of the resolution’s sponsors and urge member states to vote in favor. Recognizing kidney disease as a major NCD is a vital step toward building a more coordinated, equitable, and effective global response.
For too long, kidney disease has remained underrecognized despite its profound impact on individuals, families, and health systems. As was said in a recent editorial of the leading scientific journal Nature, failing to recognize kidney disease as a global priority ‘misses the opportunity to address a major contributor to premature and preventable mortality.’”
Comments from Jesse Roach, MD, Senior Vice President of Government Relations, National Kidney Foundation
“The exclusion of CKD from the WHO’s list of priority NCDs has contributed to significant underinvestment in kidney care, research, and prevention. This resolution is more than symbolic—it’s a lifeline for millions of people around the world. It signals that governments are finally ready to take kidney disease seriously as a public health challenge.
This action also aligns with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) commitment to addressing chronic non-infectious diseases as part of its proposed restructuring and creation of the Administration for a Healthy America. Taken together, we support these efforts to emphasize innovation, prevention, and cost-effective models of care for chronic conditions—including kidney disease. Recognizing CKD as a global priority will enhance the U.S. government’s efforts, while signaling to global funders, researchers, and governments that kidney health must be treated with urgency.”
Additional Background
A recent Nature editorial (April 2025) underscored the urgency of the issue, warning that CKD is projected to become the fifth leading cause of years of life lost by 2040. Without global coordination and recognition, disparities in diagnosis, treatment access, and outcomes will continue to grow.
About Kidney Disease
In the United States, more than 35 million adults are estimated to have kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD)—and approximately 90 percent don’t know they have it. About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black or African American people are about four times as likely as White people to have kidney failure. Hispanics experience kidney failure at about double the rate of White people. Medicare spends over $130 billion annually to care for people with kidney disease and kidney failure.
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information, visit www.kidney.org.
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