People who have chronic kidney disease should be diagnosed at an early stage, a report has highlighted.

The report has also stated that until the late stages of chronic kidney disease, it is not diagnosed and this brings down the chances of a patient's survival and costs the NHS in England more than £1.4 billion each year.

As compared to cancers like bowel, breast, lung and skin, according to NHS Kidney Care, kidney disease costs the health service more and it comes to about £1 in every £77 spent by the NHS goes in treating the disease and its complications.

The report further added that about one million people who are suffering from the disease do not even know that they have the disease as they have not been diagnosed with it.

This leads to these people not getting essential medication and lifestyle advice that could help to slow the disease's progression.

Dr Donal O'Donoghue, national clinical director for kidney care, said it is time that something is done about it.

He said, "This report shows that with the cost of caring for people with kidney disease exceeding some of the most common cancers combined, the NHS has to help clinicians find ways to identify and treat chronic kidney disease at an earlier stage."