In brief
- A clinic at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital (Liverpool) describes its first 60 patients under 16 with ketamine-induced uropathy.
- The average age was 14; in some cases, use began at 13 and lasted one to two years before referral.
- Many patients had histories of emotional trauma, leading the authors to call for accessible, trauma-informed services.
A team at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool has published a profile of the first 60 children and adolescents treated at a British clinic dedicated to ketamine-induced uropathy—bladder damage associated with the non-medical use of the substance. All patients were between 13 and 15 years old. The study was published as a clinical letter in Archives of Disease in Childhood.
A clinic created to meet rising referrals
According to the published data, the clinic opened in May 2025 due to an increase in referrals of minors under 16 with this condition. The authors describe it as the first of its kind in the United Kingdom for this age group. The analysis is descriptive, providing a portrait of those arriving at the clinic without comparing treatments or measuring clinical outcomes.
Who are the patients
The average age was 14. About two-thirds were girls (43 out of 60), and a similar proportion lived in the country’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Sixteen had a diagnosis of autism, ADHD, or both. Seventy-two percent reported childhood emotional trauma, and one in five had been in the foster care system.
Non-prescribed ketamine use had begun in some cases at age 13, lasting an average of one to two years before referral. Half mentioned the use of other drugs, 27% reported alcohol use, and 48% used vapes. Symptoms at the time of consultation included pain or stinging during urination, urinary frequency and urgency, and incontinence.
What the authors are calling for
The text warns that non-prescribed ketamine use and its adverse effects are rising in the United Kingdom, including among those under 18: 8.4% of people currently in drug treatment now report ketamine use. Given this context, the authors argue that services for those under 16 must be designed with the participation of young people themselves to improve access and reduce inequalities, and that care should be provided in an accessible, trauma-informed manner.
What this implies
This is a small sample from a single center consisting of individuals already referred, so it does not allow for an estimate of how many minors use ketamine or how many develop bladder damage. However, it provides a snapshot of who is seeking help, their histories, and the duration of use. The fact that half of the patients were using other substances and that so many came from backgrounds of trauma or social vulnerability aligns with the authors’ call to prioritize access and trauma-informed care. Bladder damage from prolonged use is one of the best-documented risks of ketamine, and this study describes the age at which it is appearing in this clinical setting. For an overview of the substance, see our ketamine and dissociatives guide; regarding the monitoring of long-term use in adults, see our news piece on increased surveillance in France.
Source
- News-Medical. Ketamine-related bladder problems reported among young teenagers. Regarding Goss N. et al., Archives of Disease in Childhood (DOI 10.1136/archdischild-2026-330727), September 22, 2026.
Educational content written from a harm reduction perspective and with respect for individual freedom. It is not a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional and is not intended to encourage or condemn any drug use.
