Support rural and remote communities across Australia – donate here to make a difference
Fran Avon is the CEO of Rural Doctors Foundation. She enjoys doing something different by researching and penning articles on health issues.
5 minute read
What’s in this article
Our kidneys play an important role in our health. Yet, we can lose 90% of our kidney function before symptoms appear. Learn more about how to identify the signs and avoid kidney disease.
Our kidneys play an important role in our health.
They house millions of microscopic filters that work around the clock to remove toxins and waste from our blood, releasing them in our urine. The kidneys also control levels of electrolytes in our body, including potassium, which is important in regulating our heart rhythms, and help our bone health by processing vitamin D. When your kidneys aren’t working properly, it can affect your blood pressure, your heart, your bones and your blood.
Our kidneys are great at what they do – working hard without us even realising it. Unfortunately, this means that we can lose 90% of our kidney function before symptoms start appearing. Common symptoms include swollen ankles or high blood pressure, less urine when you go to the bathroom, and feeling nauseous or confused.
Acute kidney injuries (AKIs) are when there is a sudden decrease in your kidney’s ability to function, which is usually due to another illness going on in the body. These injuries happen because the kidneys are getting less blood flow from the body. Other causes include inflammation of the kidney, or a blockage preventing the kidney from excreting waste. Certain medications can also contribute to AKIs.
You are more at risk of developing an acute kidney injury if you:
Some signs that you might have an AKI are having less urine output, diarrhoea or being confused or drowsy. Treatment of an AKI depends on the cause. Your kidneys may recover from an acute kidney injury and return to its normal function. However, some people do not return to their baseline kidney function, and may have permanent kidney damage.
Chronic Kidney Disease
When kidneys lose function over time it is called chronic kidney disease (CKD). For most people with CKD, it is due to diabetes or high blood pressure. 1 in every 5 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples have signs of kidney disease, compared to 1 in every 10 for the general Australian population. In remote and very remote areas of Australia, First Nations Australians are 20 times more likely to have kidney disease than non-Indigenous Australians. Chronic kidney disease was responsible for 11% of all deaths in 2020, so it is important that we talk about ways to improve our kidney health and prevent any further damage.
Factors that put you at higher risk of developing kidney disease are:
Treatment options vary depending on the level of kidney function remaining for an individual. At end stages when the kidney is failing, dialysis where your blood is filtered through a machine acting similarly to your kidneys, or a kidney transplant are required.
Seven ways to improve your kidney health
As the incidence of kidney disease is more prevalent in First Nations Australians and in rural and remote communities, it is important to get the health of your kidneys checked with your rural doctor. This will involve taking your blood pressure and doing both a urine and blood test to check for markers of kidney disease.
Prevention is always better than a cure – particularly for those living remotely – as often treatment for chronic disease may need intervention at a larger hospital.
Kidney Health Australia has comprehensive information about acute kidney injuries, chronic kidney disease and healthy living.
Having lived in the Northern Territory, Fran understands the challenges of access to health care for those living in remote communities. Fran is working to improve the health outcomes for those living far from major centres.