Hobart International Kidney Conference Starts Today  
 
The forty-fifth annual scientific meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology (ANZSN) will commence  in Hobart today with over four hundred kidney specialists from around the world attending.
 
The major conference follows the recent release by the Federal Government agency, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), which exposed the cost of Chronic Kidney Disease in Australia had surged by more than 30% in the four years to 2004-5.  
 
The report revealed spending on chronic kidney disease is also increasing much faster than expenditure on total health care.

 

The 33% rise outstripped the 19% rise in total health care expenditure over the same period.
 
Dr Matthew Jose, local conference convener and Head of Unit, Department of Nephrology Royal Hobart Hospital, said the International conference would collectively bring together major expertise from around the world to share insights and information on the prevention, treatment and management of Chronic Kidney Disease.
 
Every day in Australia and New Zealand:
-          20,000 people are treated with dialysis or have a kidney transplant
-          10 new people are diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease requiring dialysis
 
Deaths claimed by infectious diseases will decline by 3% over the next decade. In marked contrast, chronic diseases such as CKD  that already account for 72% of the total global burden of disease in people over 30 - will increase by 17%.  

The cost of treating these chronic diseases, already 80% of many health care budgets, represents a leading threat to public health and healthcare resources worldwide.

"The kidney, too often overlooked as part of global public health efforts, has now emerged as central to prevention efforts."  

 

The cost of renal replacement therapy (RRT) for total kidney failure weighs heavy on many health care budgets. Over 1.5 million individuals around the world receive dialysis or have had a kidney transplant according to the International Kidney Foundation.

Media Enquiries:
Dr Matthew D. Jose  PhD, FRACP  ANZSN Council Member Mobile: 0438 689 446
Ron Smith National Media Communications Kidney Health Australia
Mobile: 0417 329 201