Kidney disease often causes no symptoms in its early stages, but with precision screening and early intervention, progression of the disease can be slowed down and dialysis delayed by at least 10 years, National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said on Tuesday.
Shih made the remark at a news conference held by the Taiwan Society of Nephrology (TSN), Taiwan Medical Clinics Association (TMCA) and Taiwan Association of Clinical Diabetes in Taipei on Tuesday to raise public awareness ahead of World Kidney Day on Thursday next week.
Taiwan had been called the “Kingdom of Dialysis” for many years, as it had the highest prevalence of people on dialysis in the world, and the National Health Insurance (NHI) expenditure for acute kidney failure and chronic kidney disease was as high as NT$59.2 billion (US$1.8 billion) in 2023, while kidney disease was among the top 10 causes of death in the same year.
Photo: CNA
Kidney disease often causes no symptoms in its early stages, so many people are diagnosed at later stages, and the “three highs” — high blood pressure, high blood lipids and high blood sugar — and obesity are significant risk factors for chronic kidney disease, Shih said.
There was a peak of more than 98,000 people on dialysis in Taiwan in 2022, but the number has been dropping since then, as the government and healthcare professionals has been promoting the chronic kidney disease care program, he said.
The government has this year allocated a larger budget for expanding adult government-funded health examinations to people aged 30 or older, including a kidney function test every five years, Shih said.
If people can detect abnormal kidney function earlier and take action to control the risk factors, the disease’s progression can be effectively slowed down, he said, adding that NHI data show that people who have joined the chronic kidney disease care program have a much lower risk of needing to be on dialysis in the following 10 years.
Meanwhile, a new drug for treating diabetes was added to NHI coverage on Saturday, and its usage expanded to include people with chronic kidney disease and heart failure, he added.
The number of people on dialysis in Taiwan has reduced in the past three years, as well as the prevalence rate, so people are encouraged to get health exams for early detection and treatment, and that joining care programs can help people manage their risks, TSN president Wu Mai-szu (吳麥斯) said.
Lifestyle interventions, such as managing the “three highs,” exercising regularly and taking medicine as prescribed, might improve risk factors for and progression of chronic kidney disease, and people usually need long-term professional assistance through care programs to make the changes, he said.
TMCA honorary chairman Chen Hung-lin (陳宏麟) said facing the challenges of a super-aged society, care program services provided by local clinics also play an important role, helping patients improve their drug usage and lifestyle habits, and slowing disease progression by managing risk factors.
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