Children as young as 13 treated for ketamine-related bladder damage at UK hospital

Children as young as 13 are suffering from irreversible bladder damage caused by non-prescribed ketamine use, according to data from the UK's first specialist pediatric ketamine-induced uropathy clinic at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool. An analysis of the clinic's first 60 patients reveals that the average age is 14, with a majority being girls and living in highly deprived areas. Many patients suffer from severe pain, incontinence, and childhood trauma, often falling into a vicious cycle of using the drug to self-medicate their physical pain.

Alder Hey clinic establishment and demand

• ▪The UK's first ketamine-induced uropathy clinic for children under 16 opened at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool in May 2025.
• ▪The Alder Hey clinic has received over 100 referrals since opening, averaging about one referral per week from GPs and emergency departments in regions including Cheshire and Merseyside.

Demographics and profiles of patients

• ▪Among the first 60 patients treated at the Alder Hey clinic, 16 had autism, ADHD, or both, one in five had experience in the care system, and 72% had experienced childhood emotional trauma.
• ▪Patients referred to the Alder Hey clinic had been using ketamine for an average of one to two years before referral, with half reporting using other drugs, 48% vaping, and 27% drinking alcohol.
• ▪An analysis of the first 60 patients at the Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust clinic showed that approximately two-thirds of the patients were girls, and roughly two-thirds lived in the most deprived areas.

Symptoms and severity of uropathy

• ▪Ketamine-induced uropathy can cause irreversible damage to the bladder wall, including ulceration and fibrosis, which in the most severe cases may require major surgery, bladder removal, or dialysis.
• ▪Children as young as 13 are suffering from ketamine-induced uropathy, a severe bladder condition caused by non-prescribed ketamine use that damages the bladder, urinary tubes, and kidneys.
• ▪Symptoms of ketamine-induced uropathy in children include frequent urination, loss of bladder control, blood in the urine, and severe pain described by some patients as feeling like "weeing over broken glass."

Vicious cycles and reasons for use

• ▪Some children enter a vicious cycle or "K loop" where they use ketamine to temporarily relieve the severe bladder pain caused by the drug itself, which ultimately worsens their condition.
• ▪Children with emotional trauma report using ketamine, which is sold at cheap "pocket-money" prices, to quieten or "shush" their brains.

UK ketamine trends and regulation

• ▪The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has recommended to the UK government that ketamine remain classified as a Class B controlled substance, despite calls to reclassify it to Class A.
• ▪Non-prescribed ketamine use and its associated adverse effects are rising in the UK, with 8.4% of young people currently in drug treatment reporting ketamine use.

Debatable claims

• ▪The UK should reclassify ketamine as a Class A drug
• ▪The UK should fund inpatient drug detox facilities for children under 16