GOAL:

To understand the demographics, rates, distribution and outcomes of people with chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND:

Chronic kidney disease [CKD] is a condition characterised by abnormal or impaired kidney function, regardless of cause, and represents the vast continuum between normal kidney function and terminal kidney failure. It has only attracted significant attention in the last 15 years. CKD is said to be the most common chronic disease in the western world: 13.5% of Australian adults have CKD, with higher rates with increasing age, and in indigenous Australians, other minority groups and who are socioeconomically disadvantaged. 

CKD almost most always occurs in conjunction with, and/or is exacerbated by, other conditions.  It increasingly coexists with ageing, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, hypertension, chronic lung disease, arthritis, bone disease, cognitive impairment, malignancy, dementia, dependency and frailty, and many other conditions. 

All the potential to reduce the escalating burden of kidney failure lies in the better understanding, prevention and modification of CKD.  The techniques and the costs of dialysis for people with terminal kidney failure are fairly well delineated, but the appropriate streams of care for pre-terminal phase of CKD are not well defined and the direct and indirect costs of CKD have not been well studied. Until recently there was no system for CKD surveillance in Australia.

The NHMRC CKD.CRE aims to generate information to fill these knowledge gaps and to help improve the care and outcomes of people with CKD.

NEWSFLASH  Darling Downs Renal Service: Closing the Gap. Queensland Minister for Health visit; 28 April 2018

  • CKD.QLD Registry  
  • CKD.Net: National CKD Surveillance initiative - S4S “Audit4” users 
  • Collaboration with ISNs iNET.CKD (International CKD Surveillance) - see "publications".
  • CKD CREDiTS study
  • QLD Renal Biopsy Registry
  • Mahmod U, Healy HG, Kark A, Cameron A, Wang Z, Abeysekera R, Hoy WE. Spectrum (characteristics of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) with increasing age in a major metropolitan renal service. BMC Nephrology 2017;18(372) DOI: 10.1186/s12882-017-0781-5

International CKD surveillance (iNET.CKD)

  • Dienemann T, Fujii  N, Orlandi P, Nessel, L, Furth SL, Hoy WE, Matsuo S, Mayer, G, Methven S, Schaefer F, Schaeffner ES, Sola L, Stengel B, Wanner C, Zhang L, Levin A, Eckardt K and Feldman HI. International Network of Chronic Kidney Disease cohort studies (iNET-CKD): a global network of chronic kidney disease cohorts. BMC Nephrology 2016;17(121)