Children as young as 13 are being referred to a specialist clinic to treat a bladder condition caused by continuous ketamine use, new analysis shows.
A study examining the first patients attending the Liverpool service revealed that most are female and come from deprived areas.
Experts emphasised that gaining a clearer picture of the young people accessing the service “is an important step towards preventing further harm”.
Ketamine-induced uropathy (KIU) – also known as ketamine bladder – is a severe, painful condition caused by drug damage to the bladder, urinary tubes and kidneys.
Symptoms include frequent urination, blood in the urine, and an inability to control the bladder.
To address a rise in young people presenting with the condition, the UK’s inaugural KIU clinic opened at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in May 2025.
An investigation into the first 60 patients by researchers at Lancaster University and Alder Hey found their average age was 14, ranging from 13 to 15.
In some patients, ketamine consumption began at the age of 13.
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, we have seen an escalating number of children and young people referred to Alder Hey with bladder symptoms caused by non-prescribed ketamine use.
“What this first year of analysis has highlighted is the importance of understanding the young person behind the diagnosis.
“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.
“The damage caused by ketamine can be devastating. It can affect the bladder wall, causing ulceration and fibrosis, and the effects can be irreversible. Young people can experience chronic bladder pain and incontinence and, in the most severe cases, may go on to require major surgery or dialysis.
“This problem is preventable. Understanding more about the young people who are presenting to us is an important step towards preventing further harm.”
Elsewhere, the study, which is published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, found that 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: “One of the most important things about this work is that we are trying to understand the wider picture.
“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.
“We want to give young people a safe space to talk about what is happening in their lives and work with them to develop a plan to stop using ketamine and prevent further damage,” she said.
“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.”
