Chronic kidney disease screening significant opportunity missed in national health prevention

A 5 year study into cost effectiveness in health prevention has evaluated 150 interventions across a broad range of health issues and regards CKD (chronic kidney disease) screening as one of the main missed opportunities at the national level.

Currently CKD affects 1.7 million adult Australians over 25, with diabetes accounting for 34% of all new cases. CKD is often asymptomatic – patients are usually unaware that they are sick until the condition is advanced and they finally present for testing. 50 people die every day with kidney related disease.

Within the "Assessing Cost Effectiveness in Prevention" study it was shown that screening for CKD in people with diabetes and the use of ACE inhibitors was a dominant intervention that both improved health outcomes and results in a net cost saving.

Screening of non-diabetics and the use of ACE inhibitors for those over 25 years was shown to be a cost-effective preventative intervention with a positive lifetime impact on health at medium cost. CKD screening and the use of ACE inhibitors in Indigenous people was also reported as a very attractive prevention option and was a dominant intervention in both people with and without diabetes.

Kidney Health Australia is conducting a program of Targeted Screening for CKD and other chronic diseases in NSW with the Richmond Club in December this year overseen by Kidney Health Australia’s Medical Director Associate Professor Timothy Mathew. 500 men and women who are at increased risk in the community will be screened for CKD, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The ACE in Prevention study echoes the pivotal work Kidney Health Australia are already doing to improve health outcomes. Screening for CKD and treatment with ACE inhibitors would lead to a greater health gain that is currently achieved by the combined dialysis and kidney transplant program. In a perfect world the number of organ transplants would be increased dramatically which in itself is the most cost effective treatment available for ESKD (End Stage Kidney Disease) but in Australia this outcome is limited by the number of donor organs.

(Source: Kidney Health Australia)