Kidneys killing more people

Data released from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on 18 March 2009 indicate that kidney failure is increasing significantly as a cause of death.

Dr Tim Mathew, Medical Director of Kidney Health Australia said mortality data from 2007 shows that diseases of the kidney and urinary tract have jumped to 10th on the leading cause of death list, with 3,230 deaths being attributed to kidney disease as the single underlying cause.

"This number has increased 123 per cent in the last decade. Most of this increase appears to be due to an increase in chronic kidney failure deaths that have risen 148 per cent in the last decade (2,046 deaths in 2007 compared with 1,386 in 1998) with a striking 133 per cent rise over the last three years."

This is at a time when cardiovascular deaths have decreased 125 per cent in the last decade.

The rise in mortality has occurred in both sexes with female deaths accounting for 55 per cent of all deaths from diseases of the kidney and urinary tract. An age breakdown of these deaths is not yet available.

When adjusted for the population and expressed as a mortality rate there was an increase of 150 per cent over the last decade – from 4.1 in 1998 to 6.25 in 2007 (deaths per 100,000 person years).

Dr Mathew said, "Explanations for this significant increase in deaths from kidney failure include the ageing population (kidney failure increases with age), an increased awareness of kidney diseases due to better diagnosis and reporting practices and a real increase possibly related to the fall in cardiovascular mortality."

(Source: Kidney Health Australia: April 2009)