The most common causes are diabetes, hypertension, and generalised atherosclerosis. of obesity-related type 2 diabetes has increased the number of people …
Embargo: 15h00 CET, 4th March 2008
Chronic Kidney Disease - Europes Silent Epidemic
European Kidney Associations Call for Action in the European Parliament
Brussels, 4th March 2008 — The European Kidney Health Alliance EKHA and
World Kidney Day organisations today call for European health polices to
support early identification and treatment of chronic kidney disease CKD
The meeting, held in the European Parliament, marks the occasion of World
Kidney Day which this year will be on 13th March An eminent panel of
leading renal physicians and nurses, politicians and patient organisations
highlighted the need for policies that reduce the burden of kidney disease
for patients, physicians and society at large
Speaking at the meeting, MEP Mrs Frieda Brepoels said, I strongly believe
that the European Union can play a leading role in this regard Efforts
can be pulled together at European level by putting the prevention of
kidney disease high on the European agenda Furthermore, progress can be
made by exchanging best practices between Member States and by improving
existing technologies to detect kidney disease so as to assure that
every
European citizen has equal access to high-quality health care
In addition to the need to increase organ donation a proposed
Communication on Organ Donation and Transplantation: Policy Actions at EU-
Level is currently being discussed in the European Parliament, it is
important to reduce the number of people developing CKD and renal failure
Recent data show that about 10 of the European population have some degree
of CKD, but in some it progresses to become so severe as to require Renal
Replacement Therapy RRT with dialysis or transplantation The prevalence
of CKD is set to rise because it is linked to the other modern epidemics
affecting Europe: obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular
disease
In most cases people are not aware of the fact that they have CKD The
incidence of people requiring RRT is about 125 cases per million per year
But this is just the tip of the iceberg if we refer back to the data that
shows that 10 of the population has some degree of CKD
Public health measures to identify CKD at the earliest possible stage are
central to preventing the rapid escalation of the CKD epidemic, said
Professor Andrew Rees, Chairman of EKHA As with all
epidemics, decisive
action needs to be taken first by recognising the scale of the problem and
then by putting strategies in place that reverse its consequences The
EKHA brings together the combined expertise and experiences of patients and
healthcare professionals to work towards preventing the consequences of CKD
through better detection and management We hope that events like todays
will help convince policy makers that we now need urgent action to make
better kidney health a priority for Europe
We can count the cost of kidney disease in financial terms, but the impact
on the lives of patients as a result of late identification and diagnosis
is incalculable, comments Dr Donal ODonoghue, the UKs National Clinical
Director for Kidney Care For example, in the UK, dialysis alone accounts
for 2 of the total NHS budget and this is projected to double over the
next five years In comparison, the cost of implementing CKD prevention
strategies can be modest
World Kidney Day WKD aims to raise awareness about the heavy burden of
CKD on human lives Celebrated worldwide on 13th March 2008, WKD offers a
crucial, visible opportunity to inform and educate health policymakers,
people who
are at highest risk of CKD, and the general public that kidney
disease is common, harmful and treatable This year the EKHA and World
Kidney Day have joined forces to hold this awareness-raising event in the
European Parliament The event is supported by Amgen and HemoCue
About CKD
CKD is a progressive, irreversible condition characterised by kidney damage
and impaired kidney function There are five stages of CKD which are
defined by the level of kidney function as measured by the estimated
glomerular filtration rate eGFR and on the presence of low amounts of
albumin in the urine, so called microalbuminuria The lower the eGFR, the
more advanced the CKD Screening for eGFR and microalbuminuria is
especially needed when there is an elevated risk of the disease, eg in
patients with diabetes or hypertension high blood pressure
Many factors contribute to the progression of CKD The most common causes
are diabetes, hypertension, and generalised atherosclerosis Especially
when these factors are associated with the loss of albumin in the urine,
renal function will rapidly progress to end stage renal disease An ageing
population coupled with the growing prevalence of obesity-related type
2
diabetes has increased the number of people with or at risk of CKD
About the EKHA
The European Kidney Health Alliance EKHA is an alliance of not-for-profit
organisations that represent the key stakeholders in kidney health issues
in Europe EKHA member organisations are CEAPIR European Kidney Patients
Federation, EDTNA/ERCA European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses
Association/European Renal Care Association, ERA-EDTA European Renal
Association - European Dialysis and Transplant Association, ISN
International Society of Nephrology More information on wwwekhaeu
About World Kidney Day
World Kidney Day is a joint initiative of the International Society of
Nephrology ISN and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations
IFKF More information on wwwworldkidneydayorg
About Amgen
Amgen, a biotechnology pioneer, discovers, develops and delivers innovative
human therapeutics Its medicines have helped millions of patients in the
fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other
serious illnesses With a deep and broad pipeline of potential new
medicines, Amgen continues to advance science to serve patients More
information on wwwamgencom
About HemoCue
HemoCue, a
Quest Diagnostics company, is a leading global company in a
field of diagnostics known as near patient, or point of care, testing In
1982, HemoCue introduced the first system making accurate haemoglobin
testing possible in near patient settings The company also manufactures
point of care tests for glucose and urine albumin Quest Diagnostics
acquired HemoCue in 2007 More information on wwwhemocuecom
Notes to editors: About CKD and its symptoms
CKD generally progresses to ESRD when patients no longer have kidney
function adequate to sustain life and therefore require dialysis the
artificial process of cleaning waste from the blood or kidney
transplantation Without proper treatment to remove waste and fluids from
the bloodstream ie dialysis or kidney transplantation, CKD at this
stage is fatal
Anaemia is one of the most common symptoms of CKD, causing fatigue,
shortness of breath, poor concentration, dizziness and pallor, which can
have a major impact on a patients quality of life Anaemia often develops
early in CKD and, when patients do not have access to screening, these
symptoms may be the first sign of CKD
EKHA
Media Queries
Anna Rouillard
Tel: 32 2 639 6230
Email: annarouillard@ekhaeu
WKD Media Queries
Angela Guillemet
Mobile: 353 863 11 40 67
Email: info@worldkidneydayorg
Source:phpartners.org
