Important breakthrough by identifying 20 genes in the kidney

The identification of these 20 genes may help explain the cause of kidney disease and create a revolution in the treatment of kidney disease, according to the researchers. These genes control kidney functions such as filtering waste out of the blood.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term condition in which the kidneys gradually lose their function. People tend to not recognize symptoms such as swelling of the ankles and hands or blood in the urine, until the disease progresses.

Chronic kidney disease causes poor functioning organs - Photo: BBC

It is related to aging - about one in five men and one quarter of women aged 65-74 have some degree of CKD. The most common causes of CKD are lesions caused by other long-term illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure. It was previously known that there was a gene involved in the disease but no genes were known.

In the new study, an international team of scientists, including researchers at the University of Edinburgh in England, examined the genes of nearly 70,000 people across Europe. They found 13 new genes that affect kidney function and seven other genes that affect the production and secretion of creatinine - a chemical waste molecule generated by muscle metabolism and filtered through the kidneys.

Charles Kernahan, chairman of the British Association of Kidney Research, said: 'This is still the early days but it is really a big breakthrough.'