A study reveals that children as young as 13 are suffering from ketamine-induced uropathy (KIU), a severe condition causing irreversible bladder damage. The UK's first specialist clinic for this condition opened at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool in May 2025, and analysis of the first 60 patients demonstrates the growing scale of the problem. Understanding the characteristics and circumstances of affected young people is crucial for developing prevention and intervention strategies to halt the escalating trend.

Research from Alder Hey and Lancaster University found that patients had an average age of 14 (ranging from 13 to 15) and had typically been using ketamine for one to two years before referral. Approximately two-thirds were girls living in the most deprived areas, with significant vulnerability factors: 72 per cent had experienced childhood trauma, 16 had autism or ADHD, and one in five had experience of the care system. Beyond ketamine, half reported using other drugs alongside it, 27 per cent reported drinking alcohol, and 48 per cent used vapes. The condition causes permanent damage including bladder ulceration, chronic pain, incontinence, and in severe cases may require major surgery or dialysis, though clinicians emphasise the problem is preventable through earlier intervention.