Children as young as 13 have been referred to a specialist clinic for ‘ketamine bladder’ – a condition linked to sustained ketamine use, a study found.
The majority of the first patients to use the service were girls and from deprived areas, analysis showed.
Ketamine-induced uropathy (KIU) – also known as ketamine bladder – is a severe and painful condition caused by the drug damaging the bladder, urinary tubes and kidneys.
Symptoms include frequent urination, loss of bladder control and blood in the urine.
The UK’s first KIU clinic opened at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, in May 2025 in response to a rise in the number of young people presenting with the condition.
Analysis of the first 60 patients by researchers at Alder Hey and Lancaster University showed their average age was 14, ranging from 13 to 15. In some patients, ketamine use had started at 13.
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Around two thirds of patients were girls, and roughly the same proportion lived in the most deprived areas. Of the total, 16 patients had autism or ADHD, or both, and one in five had experience of the care system.
Meanwhile, almost three quarters (72%) had experienced emotional trauma during childhood.
Ms Harriet Corbett, consultant paediatric urologist at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said over the past few years there had been an “escalating number of children and young people” referred to Alder Hey with bladder issues due to non-prescribed ketamine use.
She said the analysis highlights “the importance of understanding the young person behind the diagnosis”.
“The damage caused by ketamine can be devastating. It can affect the bladder wall, causing ulceration and fibrosis, and the effects can be irreversible,” Ms Corbett said.
“Young people can experience chronic bladder pain and incontinence and, in the most severe cases, may go on to require major surgery or dialysis.
“By looking at factors such as age, where they live, their background and their life experiences, we can start to build a much clearer picture of who is being affected and how we can best support them.”
She said the “problem is preventable” and understanding more about those referred to the clinic “is an important step towards preventing further harm”.
Elsewhere, the study – published in Archives of Disease in Childhood – found children had been using ketamine for one to two years on average before their referral to the clinic.
Half reported taking others drugs alongside ketamine. More than a quarter (27%) reported drinking alcohol and 48% reported using vapes.
Professor Rachel Isba, consultant in paediatric public health medicine at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and professor emerita of children and young people’s health at Lancaster University’s Medical School, said it was important to “understand the wider picture”.
She said: “Ketamine use does not happen in isolation, and our analysis is helping us explore the different factors that may be associated with young people developing serious health problems.
“We have looked at characteristics including age, geography and experiences such as childhood trauma.
“These findings give us a much better understanding of the young people coming through the clinic and raise important questions about how we can intervene earlier and develop the right services.”
The clinic at Alder Hey takes a “non-judgmental” approach, Prof Isba added, saying they “want to give young people a safe space to talk” about their lives and work with them to “develop a plan to stop using ketamine and prevent further damage.”
“The findings from this first year of the clinic will help us consider what more can be done, both within healthcare and in the community, to identify young people at risk and provide support before irreversible damage occurs,” she said.
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