What if you could do a simple, free two-minute online test at home to see if you were at risk of a serious illness, especially if there were effective treatments which might save or extend your life. It would be madness not to do it, wouldn't it?
Around 66 Australians die per day with chronic kidney disease (more than breast and prostate cancer and road traffic accidents).
Three in four Australians are at risk of kidney disease with the highest contributing factors being diabetes and high blood pressure and of the two million - or one in 10 - Australian adults affected by kidney disease, 1.8 million are completely unaware of it - likely due to the lack of symptoms.
Yet, if diagnosed there are new treatments which can slow the progression of the disease by up to 15 years.
Kidney Health Week
During Kidney Health Week from May 21 to 27, Kidney Health Australia is encouraging Australians to take a simple online test, the Kidney Risk Test which includes nine questions that help identify your risk of kidney disease.
The test will determine whether a follow-up appointment with your GP is recommended.
Kidney disease has no symptoms and 90 per cent of kidney function can be lost without warning, meaning diagnosis is often too late and little can be done at that late stage to avoid kidney failure. However, early detection can slow or even stop the progression of this insidious, incurable, and deadly disease.
Don't wait for the wee change
Recent research found that Australians commonly associate early signs of kidney disease with changes to wee including blood in the urine. This misconception can lead to fewer people getting their kidneys checked, waiting for symptoms that may not appear.
"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 Health Week, is find out if you are one of the three in four Aussies at risk of kidney disease and if so, get a Kidney Health Check with your GP," said Dr Karen Dwyer, Nephrologist and Clinical Director at Kidney Health Australia.
New treatments
"For the first time in 20 years, there are new treatments for kidney disease that can slow down the progression to kidney failure.
In 2019, father of five Shane Jeeves was told his kidney function had deteriorated to just 6 per cent. He had been diagnosed with kidney disease in 2013 but didn't realise there was anything he needed to do - after all, he felt fit and healthy.
Shane hadn't known there were steps that could be taken to manage his diagnosis and slow the progression of the disease. He died from a kidney-related heart attack at the age of 48 leaving behind his wife, Jodie and their five daughters.
"With kidney disease, you really don't know what's going on under the surface," said Jodie.
"Shane was a fit and healthy person, heavily involved in sport, but we didn't know that under it all, his kidneys were failing, probably for years."
Chronic kidney disease costs the Australian taxpayer an estimated $9.9 billion annually in lost productivity and health costs. Government investment in targeted early screening and diagnosis could help avoid 38,200 premature deaths, and for every dollar spent, save the health system $45 in costs associated with managing kidney failure and associated cardiovascular disease over the next 20 years.
Undiagnosed
"Chronic kidney disease is an under-diagnosed condition - by the time people notice any symptoms, up to 90 per cent of kidney function is often lost, making it too late to stop or even slow down the disease," said Kidney Health Australia chief executive Chris Forbes.
"With three out of four Australians currently at risk, investment in early detection is vital to saving lives, while also reducing the economic burden on the health system and society as a whole.
"We want to make sure everyone has knowledge and awareness of early detection, which could save their life. We encourage everyone to take the two-minute test on the Kidney Health Australia website. It's a simple way to determine your risk of kidney disease and take the appropriate steps to avoid a life, or quality of it, being cut short."
A kidney health check through your GP includes a blood pressure check, a blood test for kidney function and a urine test to look for any leakage of protein.
For more information visit: www.kidney.org.au/atrisk.
