OBJECTIVES: This study aims to raise the problem of chronic kidney disease in Argentina and estimate the direct costs of its care from the payers´ perspective.

METHODS: A cost-of-illness approach was used to calculate the direct economic burden of CKD. Local clinical practice guidelines, Official healthcare and costs-related statistics referring to 2022, were used to obtain prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up costs. Cost of treatment of the disease in its different stages was calculated, as well as the costs due to excess hospitalizations of CKD patients, excess incidence of stroke and excess incidence of acute myocardial infarction.

RESULTS: The estimated annual direct cost of chronic kidney disease in Argentina amounts to USD 2,150 million. The average per-patient annual cost of treatment for stages 1-2 was USD 102, for stages 3-3B-4 was USD 909 whereas the cost for a patient in stage 5 (kidney replacement) was estimated at USD 18.246. Treatment to 31.407 stage 5 patients cost of USD 572 million. DALYs lost to CKD amount to 320.000. Effective coverage data compared with the estimates of need, showed a very significant under-provision gap, mainly in the earliest stages of the disease. On average, only 41.8% of the population with CKD is being diagnosed and treated.

CONCLUSIONS: Chronic Kidney Disease affects 12.7% of adult population in Argentina and poses a substantial burden: deterioration in quality of life, years of life lost, and extremely high costs for health systems. With greater investment in prevention, early diagnosis and with relatively low-cost drugs, it is possible to slow down the progression of the disease, giving patients a substantial improvement in their quality of life and postponing costs that today put the financing of Argentina´s health system at risk.