Did you know that 1.7 million Australian adults are affected by kidney disease while 1.5 million of those are unaware of it? Furthermore, kidney-related disease kills more people than breast cancer, prostate cancer and road accidents combined.
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These and other shocking facts related to kidney disease are the messages to be shared to the community as part of the Big Red Kidney Community Walk on September 8. The Kidney Health Australia initiative will be held locally at Lake Alexandra Reserve. The annual event aims to show support to people in the community living with kidney disease, raise awarerness of the disease and raise funds to help fight kidney disease. All are welcome to join the walk.
Kidney Health Australia CEO Chris Forbes said the shocking fact about kidney disease was that a person could lose up to 90 per cent of their kidney function before any symptoms were apparent. "A person could be relatively fine one day and the next they could be in hospital facing a life sentence of continuous dialysis or on a transplant list, waiting for a suitable kidney donor," he said. "We need to prevent people reaching this point so the Walks are a great opportunity to get the message out to the community to check their kidney health."
Mr Forbes said the walks helped fund vital early detection work, research and support activities. "Our fundraising target for all the walks is $350,000 but we'd love to smash it so we can do more for our kidney community," he said. "We urge everyone to get down to the walk, dressed in red and enjoy a day of fun, entertainment and exercise, all to help fight kidney disease."
The Highlands walk will run from 10am -12pm at Lake Alexandra Reserve, Mittagong. Registrations: bigredkidneywalk.org.au
Kidney health facts
- Kidneys are essential to a person's health and wellbeing. They rid your body of waste (through urine), clean your blood of waste and toxins, regulate your blood pressure and manage the production of Vitamin D - essential to strong bones, muscles and overall health!
- The biggest risk factors for kidney disease are diabetes, high blood pressure, established heart problems and/or stroke, family history of kidney failure, smoking, obesity, being 60 years or older, of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin, or a history of acute kidney injury. To check your risk visit www.kidney.org.au/kidneyrisktest
- 65 people die with kidney-related disease every day
- Kidney disease is a silent killer - sufferers can lose 90 per cent of kidney function without experiencing any symptoms
- 1 in 3 people in Australia are at risk of developing chronic kidney disease
- A staggering 1.7 million Australian adults are affected by kidney disease while 1.5 million of those are unaware of it
- Kidney-related disease kills more people than breast cancer, prostate cancer and road accidents combined
- Tragically, one in five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have indicators of chronic kidney disease and are four times more likely to die from it than the non-Indigenous population.
