Renal Disease

One in seven Australians over 25 years of age have at least one clinical sign of renal (kidney) disease, such as reduced kidney function and the presence of protein or blood in the urine. The incidence of kidney failure is increasing in the Aboriginal population at a faster rate than in non-Aboriginal Australians. The overall death rates from renal disease are up to ten times higher in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities compared to the rest of the Australian population.

There is consistent evidence that with proper medications and management, the number of people with kidney failure can be significantly reduced. However, early stages of kidney disease often go unrecognised, and the knowledge of what can be done to help patients is often not applied.

The three top causes of renal (kidney) disease in Australia are:

  • Diabetes, 31 per cent of new cases
  • Nephritis or inflammation of the kidney, 25 per cent of new patients
  • High blood pressure (hypertension), 16 per cent of new cases

(Information courtesy of Kidney Health Australia).

Listen to Menzies' recent public talk: Living with chronic kidney disease in Tasmania: towards a holistic approach via livestream recording.

This disease is being researched in the following projects:

Research Projects