Making Kidney Disease a Global Health Priority

Kidney disease is a common, deadly, expensive, and mostly preventable illness that has surpassed the prevalence of other types of non-communicable diseases like cancer, heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes. Spreading awareness of kidney disease and strategies to prevent it are essential for reducing this global health burden. 

What is Kidney Disease? 

Kidney disease is a non-communicable illness. This means it is not acquired from a pathogen like a virus or bacteria (contagious disease) but rather from lifestyle factors that accumulate over time into the disease. 

When kidneys become damaged, they can no longer complete their intended functions of filtering waste products and extra water from the blood, producing urine, regulating blood pressure, maintaining electrolyte balance, producing hormones like erythropoietin, which help create red blood cells, maintaining proper blood pH, and converting the active form of vitamin D to regulate calcium and phosphate levels in the body which in turn supports bone growth and other body processes. 

The two most common causes of kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure. Diabetes can cause kidney disease because high blood sugar levels damage the kidneys' blood vessels. High blood pressure can cause kidney disease because it puts excess strain on the organ’s blood vessels. 

Other factors that may cause kidney disease include rare genetic disorders, heavy metal poisoning, lupus, or toxic drugs. 

Important Facts About Kidney Disease

An important step in improving kidney disease is raising awareness. 

• Kidney disease is common, deadly, and costly. Public awareness of kidney disease remains low. It is important for individuals and health agencies to improve efforts to mitigate risk factors and improve early diagnosis to reduce kidney disease-related illnesses and deaths. 
• Kidney disease has risen to the highest occurring non-communicable disease over cancer, heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes. 
• Chronic kidney disease progresses over time and ends in kidney failure. If kidneys fail, they require being replaced with a transplant, or the patient receives a dialysis treatment to support the kidneys in removing excess water and toxins from the blood. Dialysis is not curative, and the illness and death rates remain high. 
• Kidney disease is a significant cause of early death. People aged 40-45 years old on kidney dialysis have a life expectancy of living an additional 11 years on average. This life expectancy is similar to that of a 75-year-old. 
• Only 36% of patients who have kidney failure are expected to live 5 years or more. This is significantly lower than the 5-year survival rate of certain cancers like skin, breast, cervical, colon, or ovarian, where between 60–96% of patients are alive after 5 years since diagnosis. 
• Patients with chronic kidney disease have a risk of having other non-communicable illnesses such as cardiovascular disease. This results in a high symptom burden.  
• The financial burden of kidney disease is high. In settings with low resources, up to 98% of patients who need a kidney replacement are unable to access it. This gap leads to millions of deaths every year that could have been prevented worldwide by lifestyle changes. 

“Greater global recognition of kidney disease as a driver of premature mortality will encourage the widespread prioritization of strategies that aim to prevent the development and progression of kidney disease and support the development of more affordable and effective treatments. Such strategies could improve and save millions of lives every year.” - Nature Reviews Nephrology 

How Can I Reduce My Risk of Developing Kidney Disease?

Strategies to reduce your risk of or control high blood pressure-related kidney disease:

• Take your medicine every day, as directed 
• Follow a heart-healthy diet 
• Do not smoke or use tobacco 
• Exercise most days of the week 
• Keep a healthy weight 
• Limit alcohol 
• Reduce stress 

Strategies to reduce your risk of diabetic kidney disease or keep it from getting worse: 

• Control your blood sugar 
• Control your blood pressure 
• Control your cholesterol 
• Eat healthy 
• Stay at a healthy weight 
• Quit smoking or using tobacco 
• Be active most days of the week 
• Talk to your doctor about new medicines for diabetic kidney disease 

In conclusion, it is important to learn about the impact kidney disease may have on your life and the measures you can take to prevent it or help it from getting worse. Need help finding a kidney disease specialist? Click here to search HealthTree’s specialist directory. 

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Sources: 

• Kidney disease: a global health priority
• The 7 functions of the kidneys
• Diabetic kidney disease
• ​​Blood pressure and kidney disease
• Causes of chronic kidney disease