Chronic Kidney Disease - Hyperphosphatemia (CKD)

What are the kidneys and what do they do?

The kidneys are bean-shaped organs, about the size of an adult fist, located in the back, above the waist and below the lower ribs. They continuously filter the bloodstream, playing a vital role in controlling the body’s level of water and various salts and chemicals and in clearing waste products.

What is chronic kidney disease?

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) refers to all conditions of the kidney where a person has had evidence of kidney damage and/or reduced kidney function, regardless of the specific diagnosis or cause. A doctor will generally identify kidney damage through a simple urine test. If the kidney is not working properly urine may contain protein (proteinuria) or albumin (a type of protein that is a more sensitive and a specific marker of kidney disease, albuminuria) or even blood (haematuria). Alternatively scarring may be seen in the kidney through various imaging tests.

In the most severe stage of CKD (known as end-stage kidney disease or stage 5) regular dialysis or a kidney transplant is almost always required.

The major risk factors for CKD include: increasing age, being male, race, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity.

Progression of CKD can often be slowed by controlling modifiable risk factors and by appropriate medical treatment and management.

Statistics from The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare posted some statistics on Chronic Kidney Disease in Australia in 2009 on its website:http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10681

• 1 in 7 Australian adults over the age of 25 years are estimated to have some degree of chronic kidney disease in 1999–2006.
• Chronic kidney disease contributed to nearly 10% of all deaths in 2006 and over 1 million hospitalisation bed days in 2006–07.

Treatment on the rise:

• The rate of people with a kidney transplant or receiving dialysis rose by average 26% between 2000 and 2007.

Diabetes increasing:

• Over the period 2000 to 2007, the number of new cases of end-stage kidney disease attributed to diabetes increased by two-thirds in those aged 55 years and over.

Common in Indigenous Australians:

• Based on recent data, Indigenous Australians were 6 times as likely as other Australians to be receiving treatment for end stage kidney disease.
• Death rates from chronic kidney disease were 7 and 11 times as high as for non-indigenous males and females respectively

Fosrenol® (lanthanum carbonate)

Fosrenol treats Hyperphosphataemia (high phosphate in the blood). Taken as directed, Fosrenol may help manage phosphate levels.

Optimal management for Hyperphosphataemia includes a combination of diet, dialysis, and medication.

Fosrenol binds to phosphate in food before it’s absorbed into the body. It acts like a magnet, connecting to the phosphate in the food and carrying it through the digestive tract to be eliminated.

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Any information provided should be discussed with your health care professional and should not replace their advice.