National call for Australians to get checked for kidney disease

A simple two minute test could save a life
Kidney Action Week May 11-17

Kidney Health Australia is calling on Australians to find out early if they’re at risk of kidney disease, as waiting for symptoms is too late to slow it down.

Three in four Australians are at risk of kidney disease, with the highest contributing factors being diabetes and high blood pressure.

Kidney disease often has no symptoms at early stages and 90 percent of kidney function can be lost without warning, meaning diagnosis is often too late and little can then be done to avoid kidney failure. With no cure, early detection can slow or even stop the progression of this deadly disease.

Nephrologist and Senior Medical Advisor, Dr Richard Phoon, a longstanding member of Kidney Health Australia’s advisory committee, said: “Early detection has never been more important. We have a unique opportunity to change the future for so many Australians.  The best thing you can do this Kidney Action Week is find out if you are one of the three in four Aussies at risk of kidney disease.”

Testing to see if you are at risk has never been easier. Kidney Health Australia urges adults to take a simple two-minute online test to determine if they are at risk of developing kidney disease.

Kidney Health Australia CEO, Chris Forbes, said: “Kidney Health Australia’s online test can be taken anywhere, any time, and includes nine questions that help identify your risk of kidney disease.

‘’The test will determine whether a follow-up appointment with your GP for a kidney health check is recommended – a simple check that could save your life.

“It’s so simple to detect kidney disease, just a matter of getting your GP to test your blood pressure and undergo a blood and urine test.”

Of the approximate two million – or one in 10 – Australian adults affected by kidney disease, 1.8 million are completely unaware of it, probably due to the lack of symptoms.

“There are exciting new treatments for kidney disease that can slow down the progression to kidney failure,” Dr Phoon said.

“Loss of kidney function can happen without people experiencing any visible symptoms. You can be living normally one day and on life support hooked up to a dialysis machine the next day, without any real warning.

“That’s not a life anyone wants, yet most people find themselves suddenly diagnosed with kidney failure, not knowing they were even in those earlier stages.”

Kidney Health Australia’s General Manager, Clinical and Research, Breonny Robson, said: “Kidney health is a big issue in Australia. Kidney Action Week is an opportunity to put our kidneys front and centre in the minds of Australians and start a national conversation about what people can do for their kidney health.

“The goal for the week is getting the community to understand whether they’re at risk of kidney disease, and if they are, taking action to do something about it.”

During Kidney Health Week, May 11-17, local communities across the nation will join forces to spread awareness of kidney disease, urging Australians to take it seriously by taking the two-minute online risk test. For more information visit www.kidney.org.au/action.

KEY STATS

• Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than 2 million Australians – that’s one in every 10.
  
  
• This increases to 1 in 5 for First Nations Australians.
  
  
• 1.8 million Australians are unaware they have kidney disease.
  
  
• 3 in 4 Australians are at risk of kidney disease.
  
  
• Around 20,000 people die with Chronic Kidney Disease every year.
  
  
• Chronic Kidney Disease contributes to 1 in 6 hospitalisations in Australia.
  
  
• Chronic Kidney Disease is an underlying cause in 12 percent of all deaths in Australia.
  
  
• The number of Australians receiving either dialysis or a kidney transplant has more than doubled between 2000 and 2020 from 11,700 to 27,702.
  
  
• Chronic Kidney Disease costs Australia $ 9.9 billion each year, including $ 2.3 billion to our healthcare system – an unnecessary cost if we diagnose kidney disease earlier.
  
  
• For every dollar invested in targeted early detection of Chronic Kidney Disease, $45 in costs are saved in the health system. 
  
  
• If detected early, deterioration in kidney function can be reduced by up to 50 percent.
  
  
• Targeted detection of kidney disease is via a Kidney Health Check through a GP that includes a blood pressure check, a blood test for kidney function and a urine test to look for any leakage of protein.
  
  
• Exciting, new treatments can slow the progression of Chronic Kidney Disease by up to 15 years.