Chronic kidney disease more prevalent in northern states: Govt

New Delhi: Small population-based studies have shown that chronic kidney diseases (CKD), which is a cause of kidney failure, are five times more prevalent in north Indian states that their southern counterparts, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan told Rajya Sabha today.

"CKD has been studied in India by small population based studies. It was found to be 0.79 per cent in north India and 0.16 per cent in south India," he said, adding that state-wise data was not available.

The data on numbers of cases of persons suffering from kidney diseases and deaths due to the ailment was also not available, he said in a written reply.