Managing diabetes key to lowering kidney disease

A rise in diabetes and obesity is increasing the global burden of kidney disease, with millions of people in lower income countries lacking access to life-saving treatment.

Managing blood sugar levels and tackling obesity can help avert serious cases of kidney disease. Photo: Pixabay/SciDev.Net

By 2030, 14.5 million people will have end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) but only 5.4 million will receive the treatment they need, due to economic, social, and political factors.

Diabetes-related ESKD – the advanced stage of chronic kidney disease – is rising faster than the overall incidence, and called for better diabetes management to tackle the problem. Globally, more than 2 million people die each year because of little or no access to dialysis or kidney transplantation.

Around 0.1 per cent of the world's population has ESKD, with the highest incidence in low-income countries – up to seven times higher than high-income countries. But only 4 per cent of populations in low-income countries had access to dialysis or transplantation compared to 60 per cent in high-income countries.

Using less costly alternatives such as peritoneal dialysis or comprehensive conservative care – support in managing the disease without dialysis or a transplant – may be preferable in places with limited resources.

ESKD affects 10 per cent of the world’s population and 160 million patients with Type 2 diabetes are at risk of developing chronic kidney disease.

A new landmark clinical trial show that the drug Canagliflozin, approved to lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, led to an approximately one-third reduction in ESKD and death from renal causes.

Kidney disease is a key contributor to the global non-communicable diseases (NCDs) burden both as a cause and consequence of other major NCDs — hypertension, stroke and cardio-vascular disease.

Preventing kidney disease by screening for diabetes, tackling obesity and managing blood sugar levels and high blood pressure are known to be more cost-effective than treating for renal complications.

Early detection using a simple urine test for protein can also help avert more serious cases of the disease. (SciDev.Net)

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