1 in 3 Australians at risk of kidney disease

RSS/XINHUA

Currently in Australia nearly 11‚000 people are on dialysis‚ over 1‚000 are waiting for a kidney transplant and over 54 die with kidney-related disease every day...

SYDNEY: One in three Australians is at increased of kidney disease, an often undetected silent killer, according to Kidney Health Australia (KHA).Australians are being reminded of the dangers of kidney disease during Kidney

Health Week, launched Monday and held until Sunday 1 June.

Federal Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek and Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing Peter Dutton attended the opening at Parliament House in Canberra Monday morning.

Currently in Australia nearly 11,000 people are on dialysis, over 1,000 are waiting for a kidney transplant and over 54 die with kidney-related disease every day, KHA reports.

Despite these confronting statistics, chronic kidney disease still remains low on the radar of many Australians, said Anne Wilson, KHA CEO.

"Improved early detection is the key to tackling chronic kidney disease, especially as our population ages, and more people enter high risk categories," said Wilson."Australians in high risk categories over the age of 25 are urged to undertake a risk assessment as chronic kidney disease has no warning signs. It is common, harmful but treatable if caught early.

"Early detection of chronic kidney disease can extend the life of your kidneys, keeping you healthy for as long as possible," she added.

KHA is urging Australians to take an online risk assessment for kidney disease, as early detection is not only vital for managing the disease but can also reduce the cost and burden on the health system.

From 2009 to 2020, treating end-stage kidney disease alone is estimated to cost over 12 billion AU dollars (11.55 billion U.S. dollars) -- largely because of the expense of dialysis.Risk factors for kidney disease include being 60 years of age or older, obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, family history, and having already had heart problems or a stroke.