Physical inactivity is common among people with chronic kidney disease. However, a new study has found that walking even once a week may offer major benefits to those affected, including reducing the need for dialysis.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) refers to a gradual loss of kidney function. If detected early enough, progression of the disease can be slowed down or delayed. The most severe stage of CKD is known as end-stage kidney failure - this requires kidney dialysis and/or a kidney transplant.

Up to 280,000 Irish people and 60 million people worldwide are thought to be affected.

According to scientists in Taiwan, many people with CKD undertake little or no exercise. They set out to investigate whether a simple activity - walking - could provide any health benefits. They looked at over 6,300 patients with CKD stages three to five. Stage five is end-stage.

Participants had an average age of 70 and they were monitored for around 15 months. One in five reported that walking was their most common type of exercise.

The scientists found that this type of exercise appeared to offer real benefits. In fact, those who walked were 33% less likely to die and were 21% less likely to require dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Furthermore, the more a person walked, the greater the benefits. Patients who walked just once or twice a week had a 17% reduced risk of dying during the study compared to those who never walked.

Those who walked three or four times per week had a 28% reduced risk, those who walked five or six times per week had a 58% reduced risk, and walking more than seven times a week reduced the risk by 59%.

The risk of requiring dialysis also fell by 19% for those who walked once or twice a week, 27% for three or four times a week, 43% for five or six times a week and 44% for those who walked more than seven times a week.

The scientists noted that the presence of other conditions such as diabetes or heart disease was similar among those who walked and those who did not.

"We have shown that CKD patients with comorbidities (other conditions) were able to walk if they wanted to, and that walking for exercise is associated with improved patient survival and a lower risk of dialysis. A minimal amount of walking - just once a week for less than 30 minutes - appears to be beneficial, but more frequent and longer walking may provide a more beneficial effect," the team from the China Medical University Hospital in Taiwan said.

Details of these findings are published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.