90 percent of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) don’t know it, As reported by the Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly Alliance in the framework of the celebration of the world kidney daythis March 9.
It is a pathology that affects more than 850 million people, which translates to more than 1 in 10 adults. According to the latest reports, in Spain the prevalence rate of chronic disease requiring renal replacement therapy (dialysis or kidney transplantation) is around 1,363 patients per million population (pmp), while worldwide the average number of people with renal replacement therapy are 759 per million population (pmp).
The fifth leading cause of death globally in 2040
It is an asymptomatic disease in its early stages and, it is estimated, it will become the 5th leading cause of death worldwide by 2040. People with CKD have a reduced life expectancywith an average loss of 25 years in advanced stages compared to people with normal kidney function.
The cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic systems are so closely related that one system can directly affect another. In addition, dysfunction in one system can spread to others, leading to the progression of comorbidities such as CKD, type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and heart failure (HF), which in turn increases the risk of death of cardiovascular origin and renal failure.
Conditions like diabetes
More than a third of CKD cases are attributable to metabolic conditions such as diabetes, with high blood pressure being the most important predictor in diabetics who develop CKD. Additionally, about 30 percent of CKD patients also have heart failure.
prevention is essential
In this context, Head of the Nephrology Service of the University Hospital of Navarra, Joaquín Manrique Escola, has commented that in the face of chronic kidney disease, prevention is essential. “It is very important to carry out tests, check kidney function and be able to detect those people who are eligible for follow-up, to see an evolution and a specific treatment for kidney disease”, he detailed.
Affects 10% of the population
At the same time, he continues, 10 percent of the population may be affected and the “big drawback” of kidney disease has been that it is a silent diseasethat does not present with symptoms or that it is not possible to interpret them until very advanced stages.
Proper detection, diagnosis, and management of CKD are necessary to prevent adverse events associated with the disease. Kidney disease also increases the risk of some of the heart and blood vessel diseases, problems that can come on slowly over time.
Early detection and treatment can prevent chronic kidney disease from progressing to kidney failure, which brings with it the need for dialysis or kidney transplantation. In this sense, it is essential that patients understand the importance of taking care of themselves and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.