Taking a broader view of the health care needs of people with chronic kidney disease

Older patients may never need kidney replacement therapy, but their other medical conditions require attention

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health problem worldwide.1 An estimated 1.7 million Australian adults, about 10% of the population, have biomedical signs of CKD,2 but more than half are unaware of their condition. People at particular risk include those over 60 years of age, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, established cardiovascular disease, a personal history of acute kidney injury or smoking, or a family history of kidney disease. CKD is associated with higher all‐cause mortality, higher rates of cardiovascular disease, and reduced overall quality of life.3,4