Australia is grappling with an alarming health crisis, one that remains dangerously under the radar for millions of people.
Tiredness, UTIs and high blood pressure seem relatively harmless, but these symptoms could be your body’s way of telling you something more serious is going on.
New statistics reveal that a staggering 2.69million Australians are living with indicators of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) – an increase of nearly one million people in just over a decade.
Even more concerning is that 2.49million of these people are completely unaware of their condition, putting them at risk of serious, potentially life-threatening complications.
CKD involves the gradual loss of kidney function – the key organ that filters waste and excess fluid from our blood – and can be caused by a wide range of factors, including diabetes, high blood pressure, genetic disorders, obesity, smoking, age and more.
Alarmingly, you can lose 90 per cent of your kidney function without experiencing any symptoms at all.
When people do reach that point, they might start to notice some symptoms but they’re very similar to those experienced in other health conditions. These include fatigue, nausea, a change in bathroom habits and a noticeable difference in the volume of urine that is being produced.
This is why kidney disease is referred to so often as a ‘silent condition’ as it flies under the radar; many people don’t know that they are affected by it until it has progressed into the late stages.
Holly Wakelin, 25, from Brisbane (pictured) has lived with Chronic Kidney Disease since the age of two
The new data, unveiled in the latest National Health Measures Survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), marks the first time since 2011-12 that CKD indicators have been systematically assessed.
These findings highlight an increasingly widespread epidemic, one that threatens to explode unless more Australians are made aware of the simple test that could save their lives.
So what exactly is CKD and why are we only talking about it now?
‘Chronic kidney disease is where people’s kidneys no longer work as well as they should,’ Breonny Robson, Kidney Health Australia’s General Manager – Clinical and Research, told FEMAIL.
‘The filters that are inside the kidneys can no longer filter the blood and do their job to clean out the toxins that your body produces when a kidney is working well.’
A family history of CKD and pre-existing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity can people have greater susceptibility to the disease, but everyone and anyone is at risk.
‘Typically from around middle age (40-50), is when we start to see the rates of kidney disease increase,’ Robson said.
However, this disease can significantly affect the young too with young Australians enduring turmoil from this silent condition that so often flies under the radar. Holly Wakelin, 25, from Brisbane, has battled CKD from the age of two.
Wakelin’s condition started to deteriorate in her teens with her frequent UTIs quickly rising to her kidneys
Although Wakelin’s kidney transplant has been a success, she will be on medication for the rest of her life, and she’s ‘not out of the woods yet’
Born with just one kidney, Wakelin regularly succumbed to urinary tract infections (UTIs) growing up, missing weeks of school and interrupting her life with ‘non-stop’ hospital trips.
‘I wouldn’t really get many symptoms,’ Wakelin told FEMAIL.
‘So, it’s just super confusing, to be honest.’
Wakelin’s condition started to deteriorate in her teens with the UTIs quickly rising to her kidneys. Doctors sent her home with medication.
Rapidly her CKD progressed to stage five, resulting in her having to go on dialysis, then the transplant list for a new kidney altogether.
Breonny Robson, General Manager of Clinical and Research at Kidney Health Australia, says anyone and everyone is at risk of developing CKD
When it comes to CKD, there are multiple stages from one (mild) to five (severe) which is called complete kidney failure.
Luckily for Wakelin, her mother was able to donate one of her healthy kidneys last year, meaning she now lives a semi-normal life with her replacement organ operating at 43 per cent.
This is a stark contrast to the five per cent it was operating at beforehand.
Robson says lifestyle is a big factor to contributing the risks of kidney disease.
‘If people are able to lose a little bit of weight, be more active and do things like reduce the amount of salt in their diet, it can help your kidneys,’ she said.
As well as this, Robson says that a quick trip to your GP for a kidney health check could save your life.
‘The same way that people might might have their heart checked, a kidney health check is pretty simple and involves three elements,’ says Robson.
‘The first one is a blood pressure check, the second part is a blood test, and the third component is a urine test.
‘If kidney disease is detected early, there are now medications available that a GP can prescribe that can slow down the progression of the disease by 15 years or more.’
Early detection also means sufferers may not have to resort to dialysis or kidney transplants, ultimately alleviating the rising stress on the Australian healthcare system.
