10 July 2023

Ahead of National Diabetes Week (July 9-15), Austin Health’s Head of Diabetes and Director of the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations (ACADI), Professor Elif Ekinci, has led a new report unveiling the true burden of diabetes on Australians.

The report estimates that on top of the 1.5 million Australians living with all types of diabetes, a further 1.1 million Australians are not getting their kidneys checked within recommended timeframes. The report suggests a series of improvements and preventative measures that can be made to support millions of Australians and reduce the $2.68 billion cost to our healthcare system.

The number of dialysis-related hospital admissions has increased by 36.6 per cent from 2010-11 to 2020-21. Due to this increase, more than 14 per cent of all Australian hospitalisations are people requiring dialysis.

“Diabetes is one of the most urgent health challenges of our time and one of the reasons for this is the massive impact of diabetes-related complications such as kidney disease,” Professor Ekinci said.

“The report sets out some clear recommendations for improving rates of screening for kidney disease and if we can reduce the impact of diabetes-related kidney disease.”

A primary treatment for kidney failure is kidney transplantation. Due to the scale of the numbers, waiting lists to receive a transplantation now vary between two and a half to seven years, unless a kidney is donated by a relative/living donor.

While the report highlights the enormous issue Australia is currently facing, the prevalence of diabetes in Australia is only going to get worse without intervention, with a predicted increase by 45 per cent by 2040. The report also estimates that more than one billion people will be living with diabetes worldwide by 2045.

According to the report, Change the future: Saving lives by better detecting diabetes-related kidney disease, the health problems relating to diabetes extend beyond the physical, with 25 per cent of people who are living with diabetes and chronic kidney disease experiencing depression at one point.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are five-times more likely to live with kidney failure.

Diabetes Australia commissioned the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations Research Centre to develop the report.

You can download a copy of the full report from the Diabetes Australia website.