• 1 in 3 adults are at increased risk of developing CKD:
• 1 in 9 adults have at least one clinical sign of existing CKD
• A person can lose up to 90% of their kidney function before experiencing any symptoms
• Approximately 1.7 million Australians may be affected by early-stage kidney disease and don't know it
• 11.3% of all deaths in Australia are due to, or associated with, kidney failure
• Every day about 6 Australians commence expensive dialysis or transplantation to stay alive
• About 50% of all organs transplanted from deceased donors are kidneys
• Most people with CKD will die from cardiovascular causes before requiring dialysis or transplantation
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders experience excessive death and disability due to CKD

Adult Australians are at risk of CKD if they: 

•  Have high blood pressure (hypertension)
•  Have diabetes
•  Smoke cigarettes
•  Are obese (BMI>=30)
•  Have a family history of chronic kidney disease
•  Are over 50 years of age
•  Are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent

The greater prevalence of CKD in some Indigenous Australian communities is due to the high incidence of traditional risk factors including diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking, in addition to increased levels of inadequate nutrition, alcohol abuse, streptococcal throat and skin infection, and poor living conditions.

Who is at more risk of Chronic Kidney Disease?

• High blood pressure affects 1 in 4 Australians (50% do not have blood pressure managed to target levels)
• In 2007-2008 it is estimated that over 4% of the population had diagnosed diabetes
• Data from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity & Lifestyle (AusDiab) Study suggests that for every known case of diabetes there is one undiagnosed case
• 2.9 million Australians - 1 in 6 aged 14 years and over - smoke daily
• 61% of Australians aged over 18 are overweight or obese
• Greater prevalence of CKD in some Indigenous Australian communities is due to the high incidence of traditional risk factors including diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking, in addition to increased levels of inadequate nutrition, alcohol abuse, streptococcal throat and skin infection and poor living conditions
• Socioeconomic disadvantage resulting in low level education, high unemployment, low income, and low birth weight babies

What causes Kidney Disease?

The three top causes of kidney failure in Australia are:

• Diabetes - 35% of new cases
• Nephritis or inflammation of the kidney - 22% of new patients
• High blood pressure (hypertension) - 15% of new cases

How many people have Chronic Kidney Disease?

• Approximately 1.7 million Australians (1 in 9) over age 25 years have at least one clinical sign of existing CKD, such as reduced kidney function and the presence of proteinuria (protein in the urine) or haematuria (blood in the urine)
• The incidence of kidney failure is considerably greater in Indigenous people compared with non-Indigenous people
• The overall death rates from CKD are up to ten times higher in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities compared to the rest of the Australian population  

How many Australian have treatment for kidney failure?

The most recent data from the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant (ANZDATA) Registry shows:

• 2,337 people started kidney replacement therapy (dialysis or transplant) in 2010
• The number of people on dialysis increased by 2.5% from 2009 to 2010
• Although Indigenous Australians represent less than 2.5% of the national population, they account for approximately 10% of people commencing kidney replacement therapy
• 22% of people who begin kidney replacement therapy are referred ‘late’ to a nephrologist i.e. less than 3 months before beginning kidney replacement therapy
• In Australia late referral is more common among people of Pacific Island (33%), Indigenous Australian (32%), Maori (30%), or Asian (25%) heritage compared with the Caucasoid population (23%)

Dialysis

• A total of 10,603 people were receiving dialysis treatment at the end of 2010
• 22% were receiving dialysis at a hospital, 28% were dialysing at home and 49% in satellite centres
• Home dialysis includes:
  • continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (8% of all dialysis)
  • automated peritoneal dialysis (12% of all dialysis)
  • home haemodialysis (9% of all dialysis)
• Rates of home haemodialysis range from 13% in New South Wales to 2% in South Australia

Transplantation

• One organ and tissue donor can save up to 10 lives and improve the lives of many more.
• As at 31 December 2009, 11% (1,105) of the 10,341 peole receiving dialysis were on the transplant waiting list.
• 58% of people on the waiting list are aged between 45 and 64 years, and 80% are waiting for their first transplant.
• The average waiting time for a transplant is about 4 years, but waits of up to 7 years are not uncommon.
• On average one Australian dies each week while waiting for a transplant.
• The survival rate following a kidney transplant is high - 98% of recipients are alive at 1 year, and 88% are alive at 5 years.
• This equates to a rate of 14.9 donors per million population (pmp) - the highest annual total of deceased organ donors and transplant recipients in Australia's history.
• In 2011 there were 337 deceased organ donors in Australia, who saved or improved the lives of 1001 people in need of an organ transplant.
• Live kidney donations represented 42% of all kidney transplants in 2009, down from 44% in 2008.

How much does kidney failure cost the Australian Health System?

• The best available evidence we have on cost per person per year on dialysis is:
  • hospital haemodialysis - $79,072
  • satellite haemodialysis - $65,315
  • home haemodialysis - $49,137
  • peritoneal dialysis - $53,112
• The costs of treating end-stage kidney disease from 2009 to 2020 is estimated to be around $12 billion to the Australian Government
• Increasing the use of home dialysis over the next 10 years is estimated to lead to net savings of between $378 and $430 million for the health system

How many Australians die of kidney failure

The most recent data available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show:

• Kidney failure is rising as a significant cause of death
• 50 people die every day with kidney related disease
• In 2009, diseases of the kidney and urinary tract were the 9th leading cause of death in Australia with 3,312 deaths (it was the 10th cause of death in 2008)
• Overall there has been a 23% increase in deaths from kidney disease over the past 10 years, killing more people each year than breast cancer (2,799), prostate cancer (3,111) or even road deaths (1,417) *Causes of Death, Australia 2009, published 2011 

How many Australians get kidney stones

• About 4-8% of Australians suffer from kidney stones at some time
• The lifetime risk of developing kidney stones is approx 1 in 10 for Australian men and 1 in 35 for women
• The chance of developing a stone increases if you have a family history of stones and as you age
• After having one kidney stone, the chance of getting a second stone is about 5-10% each year
• About 30-50% of people with a first kidney stone will get a second one within five years and then the risk declines - however, some people keep getting stones their whole lives - see 'Kidney Stones' fact sheet for more info

Urinary Tract Infection

• Acute, uncomplicated UTIs are a common problem in women
• Around 1 in 3 women and 1 in 20 men will get a UTI in their lifetime
• There is some evidence that use of cranberry juice may decrease the number of symptomatic UTIs over a 12 month period for women. More info here>

Useful Australian CKD references

Supporting References