Kidney Disease Essay

Chronic kidney disease is a significant health problem for all Australians, however it is ten times more common among indigenous people. (Kidney Health Australia, 2014)

The incidence of kidney disease is especially high for indigenous Australians living in rural and very remote areas. (Kidney Health Australia, 2014)

Their likelihood of dying from kidney disease is more than fifteen times that of non-indigenous Australians. (Kidney disease among Aboriginal people, 2013)

Forty to sixty year olds in particular have kidney problems and failure. This greater prevalence of disease in indigenous Australians is due to an increased susceptibility to kidney damage, higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, inadequate nutrition, alcohol abuse, streptococccal throat and skin infection, obesity, poor living conditions, and low birth weight linked to reduced nephron development. (Kidney Health Australia, 2014)

The incidence of end-stage kidney disease is especially high for indigenous Australians. They are 20-30 times more likely than non-indigenous Australians to have end-stage kidney failure. (Kidney disease among Aboriginal people, 2013)

Kidneys clear waste products from our blood. They play a role in controlling the body’s level of water and chemicals, and produce essential hormones. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013)

Blood is filtered in the glomerulus and then water and waste is passed out as urine. (Edith Cowan University, 2001-2004)

Kidney damage can occur from hypertension which causes blood vessels in the kidneys to shrink and harden; infections travelling though the bloodstream; long-term and uncontrolled diabetes, and genetically inherited kidney problems. (Edith Cowan University, 2001-2004)

An indi...

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...e in improving health outcomes and management of chronic disease such as kidney disease. Factors contributing to kidney disease among indigenous people are complex. They reflect a combination of social, and economic, as well as biomedical risk factors. Risk factors for kidney disease in rural indigenous Australians include repeated infections, high blood pressure, obesity, low birth weight, infant malnutrition, poor diet, low activity levels, alcohol and tobacco use, and diabetes. (Edith Cowan University, 2001-2004)

These conditions are common among rural indigenous people. The majority of these factors are modifiable in nature, and there is evidence that minimising these risks can help to reduce the prevention of kidney disease and its associated mortality in indigenous people. (Edith Cowan University, 2001-2004)