Prof. Matthew Jose1,2, Dr Jess Fraser3, Dr Hilary Hiscock2, Mr Tim Saunder1, Mr Alex Kitsos1, Dr Laura Cuthbertson4, Assoc. Prof Rajesh Raj3, Prof Jan Radford5
1Hobart Clinical School, Tasmanian School of Medicine, University Of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia, 2Renal Unit, Royal Hobart Hospital, Hobart, Australia, 3Launceston General Hospital, Launceston, Australia, 4Department of Nephrology, St Vincent’s Hospital,, Melbourne, Australia, 5Launceston Clinical School, Tasmanian School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Australia
Biography:
Matthew Jose is a bushwalker, photographer and mountain runner who in his spare time works an academic renal physician, Head of the Renal Unit at the Royal Hobart Hospital, and Professor of Medicine for the University of Tasmania.
Aim:
To report the contemporary epidemiology of chronic kidney disease (CKD) (and related comorbidities) in regional, rural and remote communities following the global pandemic.
Background:
We previously reported the escalating rates of CKD in an Australian community prior to the pandemic. Whilst the SARS-CoV-2 virus is known to affect the kidneys, the long-term effects on the rates of CKD in Australia are unknown.
Methods:
We examined age-standardised incidence and prevalence between 2008 and 2023, using a linked dataset that included any adult with a creatinine test taken during the study period. We used 1/1/2000 as an approximate start date of the pandemic. CKD was defined as two measures of eGFR<60mL/min/1.73m², at least 3-months apart. Rurality was classified according to the Modified Monash Model.
Results:
We examined 8.7 million results in 569,481 people (53% women), 88.4% of the state’s adult population. Age-standardised incidence and prevalence of CKD remained stable at 1.1% and 7.2% respectively from 2016 to 2023, consistent across gender. The crude rate of CKD increased from 8.7% to 9.7% over the same time period. Overall the number of people with CKD increased by 15.8% in the four years prior to 1/1/2020, and by 12.3% in the following four years, and this was consistent across smaller communities.
Similarly, from 2016 to 2023 the age-standardised prevalence of diabetes mellitus increased from 7.7% to 8.8%, diagnosed cardiovascular disease from 1.9% to 2.4%, and stage 3-4 Cardio-Renal-Metabolic syndrome from 0.4% to 0.6%. This growth was again unchanged following the pandemic.
Conclusion:
The age-standardised prevalence of CKD in regional, rural and remote regions has remained stable throughout the pandemic, but the number of people with CKD continues to rise.
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