Kidney Health Australia will use World Kidney Day on 13 March
2008 to launch a national awareness campaign on the importance of
Kidney Health to children and their parents with a strong focus on
choosing water nature's choice as their drink of preference.
The campaign to be spearheaded by 'Billy the Kidney' and
using the theme Amazing Kidneys will promote the key message
that every day adults kidneys filter 200 litres of blood - a
remarkable feat for two small organs the size of our fists which
every year process 73,000 litres of blood.
Image left: Billy the Kidney
At 50 years of age the
amount is a remarkable 3.65 million litres of blood; at 60 it is
4.38 million litres of blood and at 70 years of age 5.110 million
litres of blood.
Anne Wilson CEO of Kidney Health Australia said schools would be
invited to take part in World Kidney Day with a mixture of
activities including an online program of information for staff,
students and parents.
Ms Wilson said, "with one in three students and adults developing
kidney disease we believe this early program in schools at primary
and secondary level is both timely and necessary given new research
which has found kidney disease is a 'disease multiplier'.
"It causes death in many people with diabetes and hypertension
and predicts the development of a cardiovascular event.
"This new information now demands that kidney assumes a central
role in national health and prevention efforts, because increased
awareness of kidney disease has the immediate potential to
dramatically reduce the growing burden of deaths and disability from
chronic cardiovascular disease worldwide."
Ms Wilson said "parents will be able to gain fact sheets from the
Kidney Health website at www.kidney.org.au
aimed at helping people understand how they can avoid or manage
kidney disease through early detection."
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a significant and growing public
health problem, responsible for substantial burden of illness and
premature mortality. In Australia, it is a fact that:
1 in 3 adults are at increased risk of developing CKD
1 in 7 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 2 million Australians may be affected by
early-stage kidney disease and don't know it
Over 40 Australians die of kidney failure each day
11.3% of all deaths in Australia are due to, or associated with,
kidney failure
Every day, 6 Australians commence expensive dialysis or
transplantation to stay alive
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
The dialysis-dependent population has risen by an average of 8%
per year over the past decade, and is being fuelled by the ageing
population, and Type 2 diabetes epidemic
It costs approximately $60,000 per annum to keep a person alive
on dialysis
There is consistent evidence that with proper medications and
management, the number of people with kidney failure can be
significantly reduced. However, early stages of kidney disease often
go unrecognised, and the knowledge of what can be done to help
patients is often not applied.
Media Enquiries:
Anne Wilson, CEO Kidney Health Australia
Mobile: 0400 165 391
Dr Tim Mathew, Medical Director Kidney
Health Australia Mobile: 0416 149 863
Ron Smith Media
Communications Kidney Health Australia Mobile: 0417 329 201
