Scientists based in Poland, Austria and the UK, led by the University of Manchester have discovered 35 genes for the kidneys which can indicate whether a person is or is not predisposed to contract Chronic Kidney Disease.

35 genes were discovered, allowing scientists to begin to gain a better understanding of the illness which has been called a silent killer, due to it being so under diagnosed. Undetected and unchecked it can lead to failure of a kidney or both kidneys. Patients are then forced to wait for a transplant and, in the meantime must go through dialysis.

While scientist’s knowledge of the exact genetic workings of the illness have been limited, they have always suspected there is a strong genetic component. Because of this limited knowledge the development of new diagnostic tools and treatment have been slow and hampered by the lack of information. One major hope is this new information will lead to better early detection methods.

In the United Kingdom, nearly 2 million people are diagnosed with moderate to severe Chronic Kidney Disease. But experts also believe there are around 1 million others who are not diagnosed.

There are many contributing factors to whether or not a person is predisposed for developing kidney problems, but to keep apprised of all these latest studies, you should definitely take a look at our articles and videos.