Australia is losing the obesity war and our kidneys are a hidden casualty!
Obesity is a growing epidemic in Australia, yet many people are unaware of the implications it has for kidney health. Breonny Robson discusses how early detection of kidney disease can have an impact on your patients' well-being.
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Established cardiovascular disease
- A family history of kidney failure
- Obesity (BMI >30)
- Smoking
- 60 years and older
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin
- History of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)
So, for Kidney Health Week 2017, make a difference! Identify patients in your practice with risk factors for kidney disease and perform a kidney health check. For those people you find with CKD, follow the colour coded action plans,CKD staging table and management algorithms in the ‘CKD Management in General Practice’ 3rd edition. You can also access ThinkGP's free online education and find useful clinical and consumer resources at www.kidney.org.au
References
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Healthy Communities: Overweight and obesity rates across Australia, 2014-15. 2016.
- AIHW. Projections of the incidence of treated end-stage kidney disease in Australia, 2010-2020. Cat. no. PHE 150. Canberra: AIHW; 2011.
- Keith DS, Nichols GA, Gullion CM, Brown JB, Smith DH. Longitudinal follow-up and outcomes among a population with chronic kidney disease in a large managed care organization. Arch Intern Med 2004 March 22;164(6):659-63.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Health Survey: Biomedical Results for Chronic Diseases, 2011-12. ABS, Canberra; 2013.
- Johnson DW. Evidence-based guide to slowing the progression of early renal insufficiency. Intern Med J 2004 January;34(1-2):50-7.
- Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Management in General Practice (3rd edition). Kidney Health Australia, Melbourne; 2015.
Breonny Robson BMedSc
Breonny Robson is the National Primary Care Education Manager for Kidney Health Australia. Breonny has worked in health for the last 13 years and is responsible for the delivery of a national program that aims to support best practice detection and management of kidney disease, incorporating comprehensive clinical education and resources, the development and publication of position statements, peer-reviewed articles, guidelines and advocacy. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family. For more information on Kidney Health Australia or Kidney Health Week, visit www.kidney.org.au