When you think of your vital body functions, your kidneys may not be the first organs that come to mind. However, they are a critical part of the human body as they clean the blood of toxins and transform the waste into urine. Kidney failure is a life-altering condition; therefore, managing kidney disease so it does not progress is important.
According to an August 2022 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report, an estimated 11% of Australians show signs of chronic kidney disease. There are five stages of the disease, and a patient’s kidney function is assessed through pathology tests to determine how far along the disease has progressed.
Early diagnosis of kidney disease is essential to stop or slow down progression. In the early stages of the disease there are often no signs or symptoms, so it is vital that people at increased risk of kidney disease get their kidneys checked by their healthcare team who can order any pathology tests required.
Kidney Health Australia is the national peak body for kidney health, connecting people to the vital information, education and support services they need to preserve their kidney health and live a better quality of life if they are diagnosed with kidney disease.
Chris Forbes is the CEO of Kidney Health Australia. He said: “At Kidney Health Australia, we’re really trying to change the conversation from kidney failure to kidney preservation.”
“As a patient, if you have kidney disease, there’s a number of lifestyle changes that you can make to help manage your kidney health. If you are a smoker, stopping smoking is best, you can also increase your physical activity, make sure you’re eating the right foods, cut back on sugar, salt and processed foods in your diet, and take steps to help manage your stress and of course sleep.
“If you also have high blood pressure or diabetes, you’re at a much higher risk of developing kidney disease. Working with your healthcare team to manage these underlying conditions can help slow down your disease progression and help you to feel better for longer.”
Chris Forbes, CEO at Kidney Health Australia
People living with underlying conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure should undergo annual kidney health checks to ensure that any signs of kidney disease are detected early. For people living with diabetes, prolonged high blood glucose can damage the vessels inside the kidneys. High blood pressure (hypertension) can also lead to kidney damage.
Unfortunately, recent data has shown that over 70% of Australians living with diabetes do not attend their annual check-up. Attendance rates were even worse during the COVID-19 pandemic as people stayed at home to follow lockdown rules.
Mr Forbes said: “It’s really critical to get an annual kidney health check from the time diabetes is first diagnosed. People can live with diabetes for some time before it’s diagnosed and kidney complications can be developing silently.
If a person has progressed to kidney failure, they may require medical management, or more serious interventions such as dialysis or kidney transplantation. In 2020, 14,600 people with kidney failure received dialysis and 885 kidney transplant operations were performed.
Dialysis comes with a challenging treatment schedule, as it requires multiple visits to the hospital each week so that the patient’s blood can be cleaned from the toxins that the kidneys would normally clear.
“[Dialysis] limits the ability to work, the ability to go on a holiday, and that constant feeling of being tired and for many people going to hospital three times a week, five hours at a time for dialysis, that’s a massive drain on them and their families,” said Mr Forbes.
The Big Red Kidney Bus is a program offered by Kidney Health Australia that allows patients who require haemodialysis to go on holidays whilst continuing to receive treatment. The bus contains dialysis machines, and travels to holiday destinations in Victoria and New South Wales for up to six weeks at a time, providing some normality to these patients’ lives, and their families.
As many have never heard of kidney disease when they are diagnosed and are looking for advice, Kidney Health Australia offers abundant resources, a Kidney Helpline, and the opportunity for peer-to-peer support:
“One of the programs that we are doing which is really taking off is called Kidney Buddies, where we match someone with lived experience with someone who’s newly diagnosed and they have the opportunity to talk to each other,” said Mr Forbes.
It is thanks to organisations like Kidney Health Australia that the public is made aware of the importance of taking care of their kidneys. For people living with kidney disease, some simple lifestyle changes together with new treatments could significantly decrease the chances of progressing to kidney failure. For those at risk of kidney disease, pathology testing is readily available to assess kidney health.
Ask your doctor if you need a kidney health check or simply try the Online Kidney Risk Test at kidney.org.au/kidneyrisktest
London Agency is a Melbourne-based public relations and communications agency with healthcare industry expertise.
