Kidney Health Week 24th May - 31st May
2008
Over 2000 Australians every day are admitted to hospital with
kidney disease.
One third of all admissions to public hospitals - 2000 patients
every day, is due to dialysis. The amount of kidney patients is
growing at 8.5%.
CEO of Kidney Health Australia Anne Wilson said, "In 2005 /
2006 a total of 731,000 visits out of a total of 2.215 million
hospital admissions were related to kidney disease."
Image right: Anne Wilson CEO of Kidney Health Australia
Ms Wilson said Kidney Health Australia will target the
increase long term with education, community awareness and testing
of high risk groups. This will include taking the Kidney health
message into the schools with Billy Kidney who will be used to alert
children to the issues of kidney disease.
On average, six new patients are accepted onto the Australian
dialysis program each day. The cost of treating a patient with
dialysis is $72,000 per annum. The number of patients on dialysis is
increasing at 6% per annum. Australia's health bill for treating
kidney disease is growing at $1 million a week.
Ms Wilson said, "Kidney failure is the seventh most frequent
cause of death in Australia and exceeds road deaths, suicide, and
breast cancer in number.
"Over 40 people die each and every day from kidney failure in
Australia with 11.3% of all deaths are due to or associated with
kidney failure.
"As many as 2 million Australians may be affected by
early-stage kidney disease and not even know it making it the
silent killer with only 5% of the general population being aware of
the role their kidneys perform, according to international
research."
The main job of the kidneys is to remove toxins and excess water
from our blood. The kidneys are roughly the size of two fists and
are located deep in our abdomen, beneath our rib cage.
Every day our kidneys filter an average of 200 litres of blood -
a quantity that would fill 20 buckets!
"Besides this impressive, daily feat, kidneys also help to
control our blood pressure, to produce red blood cells and to keep
our bones healthy," Ms Wilson said.
The Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon will
officially launch Kidney Health Week this morning at Parliament
House Canberra to coincide with Kidney Health's 40th Birthday and
several people being recognised for their contribution to Kidney
Health in Australia.
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 National
Media Communications Kidney Health Australia Mobile: 0417 329 201
