Kidney related disease kills more Australians each year than breast cancer, prostate cancer and road accidents combined, yet awareness of this silent killer remains low.
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One-in three Australians is at increased risk of developing kidney related disease, and 53 are dying with kidney related disease every day.
Most are tragically unaware they have it until it is too late.
One Australian dies every 27 minutes and 1.7 million are affected by chronic kidney disease but it is highly undiagnosed and less than 10 per cent of people who are affected know they have the disease.
The more Australians that know their risk and check their kidneys, the higher chance we have of sparing millions of Australians from prolonged suffering, expensive dialysis and unacceptably high fatalities.
One simple online test, which helps people to understand their risk factors, could help prevent this devastating and costly toll. Kidney-related illness is estimated to cost the Australian economy $4.1billion a year and is projected to rise to $12billion by 2020.
Kidney Health Australia is urging everyone to see if they are one of the one-in-three people living in Australia who is at increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease by taking a simple online test.
It’s important Australians know the indicators of chronic kidney disease, as 90 per cent of kidney function can be lost without any symptoms and early detection is vital to successful treatment.
If caught early, chronic kidney disease is very treatable and in some cases can even be reversed entirely. This is why we are urging all Australians to know their risk profile and, if they fall into a high-risk group, to get their kidneys checked by a general practitioner.
Australians at risk of developing chronic kidney disease include those who have diabetes, high blood pressure, established heart problems such as heart failure or heart attack, have had a previous stroke, a family history of kidney failure, are obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, smoke, have a history of acute kidney injury, are 60+ years or are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin.
Our message this Kidney Health Week is don’t wait until you feel sick. Take our online test and if you are high-risk get your kidneys checked. www.kidney.org.au
Dr Lisa Murphy, Kidney Health Australia
