Urgent call to policymakers – make chronic kidney disease a public health priority – POLITICO

We must make an impact on CKD around the world

For the approximately 850 million people living with CKD, or approximately 1 in 10 people worldwide, time is of the essence.^{[1], [2], [3]}.Every day someone goes undiagnosed, CKD is allowed to progress silently.^[4].

Less than 10% of people with CKD are aware of the disease, which without intervention can lead to dialysis, kidney transplant, or death.^{[5], [6]}. However, early diagnosis can be life-changing. If diagnosis is delayed by his year, his risk of progressing to end-stage disease increases by 40% and he is 63% more likely to develop kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant.^[7].

CKD is expected to become the fifth leading cause of death worldwide by 2040^[8]. It is common in people with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.^{[9], [10]}diabetes accounts for 30% of the total CKD population.^{[11], [12]}.

Marisol Robles of the Mario Robles Foundation, a kidney health advocacy group in Mexico, emphasized that “we need to promote comprehensive kidney disease care programs, including screening for people who already have high blood pressure and diabetes.” do.Readily available and affordable treatments exist^[5]blood and urine tests can be used to measure kidney function.^[13]But we are not using these early enough to help patients.

“Despite being a leading cause of death, CKD does not receive the same attention or resources as other diseases. It is important for policy makers to understand that dialysis is not inevitable.” Laverne Burton, CEO of the Kidney Foundation, warns.

That’s why in 2023, we formed the Global Patient Alliance for Kidney Health with 29 patient advocacy organizations. Our goal is to raise the voice of patients on the benefits of early diagnosis in global and regional policy forums, and to engage with policy makers at the national level to advocate for early stage and screening policy priorities.

Dialysis and transplantation are expensive and have a devastating impact on patients, caregivers, the healthcare system, and the environment.

“Treating kidney disease at the point of kidney failure has a devastating impact on patients and caregivers. Patients are faced with the reality that they will need dialysis or a transplant to stay alive.” Carrie Thibodeau, Director of Programs and Public Policy, Kidney Foundation of Canada, explains. “In most cases, dialysis requires four-hour treatments in a hospital or dialysis center multiple times a week, but many patients are unable to work due to time commitments and physical demands.”

Caregivers such as informal caregivers, spouses, friends, and other family members are also affected. They can spend an average of 9.25 hours a week and he 2.8 hours on informal care of dialysis and transplant patients.^[14].May also experience caregiver-related depression and anxiety^{[15], [16]}.

CKD has economic costs. Annual costs associated with dialysis and kidney transplantation range from US$35,000 to US$100,000 per patient.^[17]. There is also an environmental impact: dialysis consumes more than 169 billion liters of water and generates 1 billion kilograms of waste annually worldwide.^{[18], [19]}.

Currently, CKD is not recognized as an urgent health priority by governments.

Although treatment options are expanding, policy implementation has been slow.

We call on policymakers to elevate CKD as a key health priority and implement the following policies:

1) Detect and diagnose patients at an earlier stage;

2) Make care and recommended treatments readily available to slow the progression of CKD and prevent kidney failure.

To achieve this, CKD must be integrated into non-communicable disease policy approaches alongside cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and placed at the forefront of the global public health agenda.

“We need a complete paradigm shift from kidney failure to kidney health,” says Kidney Health Australia’s Chris Forbes.

To reinforce this urgency, we Campaign to make a difference for kidney health Use the vast body of evidence on the benefits of early intervention for CKD to call for policy change. By taking action together, we can make a difference in the lives of hundreds of millions of people. The time for policymakers to act is now.

Note: The “Make the Change for Kidney Health” campaign was created in collaboration with the Global Patient Alliance for Kidney Health and is funded and produced by AstraZeneca.