Abstract
Vision statement
Preventable chronic kidney disease is minimised and everyone living with chronic kidney disease in Scotland has timely and equitable access to the diagnosis, treatment and care they need to live well.
The context The kidneys are master regulators and essential for life, when they fail, the result is devastating. Responsible for a multitude of functions, kidneys are vital organs, yet Kidney Research UK’s own research has found that 80% of people don’t know where they are or what they do. The kidneys are located on either side of the spine, and they are responsible for hormone secretion into the bloodstream, removing waste, toxins and excess fluids from the blood.
The term ‘kidney disease’ encompasses a broad range of conditions that leads
to poor kidney function. Since the kidneys are necessary for many bodily functions, kidney disease increases the risk of developing other diseases, and conversely other diseases are risk factors for kidney disease. A key consequence of CKD is that it increases the risk of early death from associated cardiovascular disease (i.e. heart attacks and strokes), regardless of whether a person ever reaches kidney failure. There is no cure for kidney disease, and managing it is a complex task, as kidney abnormalities exist across every age group, gender and ethnicity and can appear without warning. Kidney disease is often labelled as a silent killer due to its frequent lack of physical symptoms. Even when symptoms are present, they are often overlooked or attributed to a different diagnosis or other health issues. Since early diagnosis is key to managing and slowing progression to kidney failure, patients face devastating consequences if symptoms go undiagnosed. Left untreated, CKD can progress from stage 1 through to stage 5, with those in the most advanced stages of kidney disease
requiring kidney replacement therapy (dialysis or transplantation) to survive.
Kidney disease is usually diagnosed by blood and urine tests. A blood test will show low eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) levels or high levels of creatinine; or a uACR (urine albumin creatinine ratio) test will show the presence of a protein called albumin.
CKD has also been linked to significant physical limitations, reduced quality of life, financial hardship, emotional and cognitive disorders and social isolation.
Preventable chronic kidney disease is minimised and everyone living with chronic kidney disease in Scotland has timely and equitable access to the diagnosis, treatment and care they need to live well.
The context The kidneys are master regulators and essential for life, when they fail, the result is devastating. Responsible for a multitude of functions, kidneys are vital organs, yet Kidney Research UK’s own research has found that 80% of people don’t know where they are or what they do. The kidneys are located on either side of the spine, and they are responsible for hormone secretion into the bloodstream, removing waste, toxins and excess fluids from the blood.
The term ‘kidney disease’ encompasses a broad range of conditions that leads
to poor kidney function. Since the kidneys are necessary for many bodily functions, kidney disease increases the risk of developing other diseases, and conversely other diseases are risk factors for kidney disease. A key consequence of CKD is that it increases the risk of early death from associated cardiovascular disease (i.e. heart attacks and strokes), regardless of whether a person ever reaches kidney failure. There is no cure for kidney disease, and managing it is a complex task, as kidney abnormalities exist across every age group, gender and ethnicity and can appear without warning. Kidney disease is often labelled as a silent killer due to its frequent lack of physical symptoms. Even when symptoms are present, they are often overlooked or attributed to a different diagnosis or other health issues. Since early diagnosis is key to managing and slowing progression to kidney failure, patients face devastating consequences if symptoms go undiagnosed. Left untreated, CKD can progress from stage 1 through to stage 5, with those in the most advanced stages of kidney disease
requiring kidney replacement therapy (dialysis or transplantation) to survive.
Kidney disease is usually diagnosed by blood and urine tests. A blood test will show low eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) levels or high levels of creatinine; or a uACR (urine albumin creatinine ratio) test will show the presence of a protein called albumin.
CKD has also been linked to significant physical limitations, reduced quality of life, financial hardship, emotional and cognitive disorders and social isolation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Kidney Research UK |
| Number of pages | 32 |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Nov 2024 |
