A recent report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has revealed a sharp rise in chronic kidney disease across the country.
Currently, 2.69 million Australians are reported to have chronic kidney disease, marking an increase of nearly one million in just over a decade.
This is the first time the national kidney disease index has been evaluated since 2011-12.
The data shows that one in seven Australian adults, or 14.2%, is affected by the disease—up from 10.8% in 2012.
Alarmingly, around 2.49 million people with chronic kidney disease symptoms are unaware of their condition.
Only 7.4% of adults self-report having kidney disease, indicating a large gap in diagnosis and awareness.
Australia’s Kidney Health chief executive, Chris Forbes, described the situation as a public health emergency.
