Dianne Moidin knows better than most about the courage people show when they live with chronic kidney disease.

Dianne runs the local Dialysis Support Group at Bundaberg Hospital as a volunteer because she loves the people.

“Everyone can do with a bit of company when you’re hooked up to dialysis machines for hours,” she said. Diane’s husband has undergone numerous visits each week to the dialysis unit for the past seven years.

This Kidney Action Week (May 11-17), hospitals and special dialysis units around Australia are treating people who often had no symptoms to alert them that their kidneys were being damaged.

An estimated 330,000 Australians living with diabetes have chronic kidney disease. If detected early, treatments and lifestyle changes can slow or halt the progression of the condition. However, if kidney disease is undetected, kidney damage is often irreversible.

That’s why Diabetes Australia has called on the Australian Government to establish a National Diabetes Kidney Disease Screening Program. Early detection would save the health system millions of dollars by preventing the complications caused by late diagnosis.

Diabetes Australia’s Group CEO Justine Cain said this would be an important initiative to help people living with diabetes. “The cost to people’s lives, in terms of human suffering and also impacts on their finances and ability to work, cannot be underestimated,” Ms Cain said.

Last year, Diabetes Australia released a report, “Saving Lives by Better Detecting Diabetes-Related Kidney Disease”. It found:

• 324 Australians living with diabetes undergo a kidney transplant each year
• 10,249 Australians living with diabetes are undergoing kidney replacement therapy including dialysis each year
• 2,024 Australians living with diabetes die from kidney disease each year
• Better early detection of kidney disease could save the Australian economy around $500M per annum.

The report estimates diabetes-related kidney disease costs Australia $2.68B per annum with the majority of the cost ($1.9B) associated with people living with diabetes experiencing kidney failure.

Ms Cain said there was an urgent need in Australia for earlier intervention to help prevent kidney failure that was not currently being met.

“About a quarter of all people living with diabetes also live with kidney disease,” Ms Cain said.

“More than 10,000 Australians living with diabetes are undergoing kidney replacement therapy which can include dialysis or kidney transplantation.

“Most kidney failure can be prevented with early intervention; however, just under a quarter (23%) of people are getting their kidneys checked within recommended timeframes.

“Each of these statistics represents a person living with diabetes. We need a National Diabetes Kidney Disease Screening Program to improve health outcomes for these people.”

Dianne said she and her husband would support anything that reduces the number of people experiencing kidney disease.

“Anyone who spends even one day in a dialysis unit will do everything they can to avoid being admitted to one,” she said.