Daijiworld Media Network - Denmark

Denmark, Jan 5: A large nationwide study from Denmark has drawn attention to a lesser-known but serious health concern among individuals with Down syndrome, revealing that they face a significantly higher risk of kidney-related disorders than the general population.

The study, titled “Acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease in individuals with Down syndrome: A nationwide cohort study”, was conducted by researchers led by Freja Leonore Uhd Weldingh from Aarhus University Hospital, along with experts from the Danish Central Cytogenetics Registry Study Group. It analysed national health records of 2,815 individuals with confirmed Down syndrome born between 1961 and 2021, tracking blood creatinine levels from the 1990s to 2024. For comparison, data from 28,150 age- and sex-matched individuals without Down syndrome were examined.

Using internationally accepted Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria, the researchers assessed the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The findings were striking. By the age of 20, nearly 29 per cent of individuals with Down syndrome had experienced at least one episode of AKI, compared to just 1–2 per cent in the comparison group. By 40 years of age, the figure rose to 33 per cent, versus 5 per cent among those without Down syndrome. By 70, nearly half of individuals with Down syndrome had suffered AKI, compared to less than a quarter of others.

Chronic kidney disease followed a similar trend. At age 20, around 1 per cent of individuals with Down syndrome had CKD, compared to almost none in the control group. By 40, this increased to nearly 4 per cent versus less than 0.5 per cent, and by 70, CKD affected 23 per cent of individuals with Down syndrome, compared to 14 per cent among those without the condition.

Notably, the elevated risk remained even after excluding cases linked to congenital heart defects, suggesting that the vulnerability may be rooted in the biological effects of an extra copy of chromosome 21. Researchers pointed to factors such as smaller kidney size, urinary tract abnormalities, higher susceptibility to infections, obesity, sleep-related breathing disorders, and increased sensitivity to illness or medications as possible contributors.

The study, published in the Clinical Kidney Journal in 2025, has important implications for long-term care. Experts now recommend routine monitoring of kidney function, including creatinine testing, from early adulthood in individuals with Down syndrome. Early detection and timely management could help prevent severe complications, including kidney failure.

With Down syndrome affecting around one in 700 newborns globally, the researchers stressed that greater awareness and proactive kidney care could significantly improve quality of life and long-term health outcomes for this population.