Number of Cypriots undergoing dialysis more than doubles

The number of Cypriots undergoing kidney dialysis has more than doubled over the course of the last decade, the Cyprus Nephrological Society said on Wednesday.

Ahead of Thursday’s World Kidney Day, the society released a set of statistics to highlight kidney-related issues in Cyprus and around the world.

They said kidney-related health problems are the tenth-most common cause of death worldwide, while one in ten people across the globe are affected by chronic kidney disease. In addition, they said, that number is expected to increase year on year.

They added, “even if only a small percentage of these people will need support with a purification method such as haemodialysis or a kidney transplant, this amounts to more than 200 new cases in Cyprus per year.”

This, they said, puts Cyprus in the top two countries in Europe by proportion of its population requiring kidney intervention.

The said the rate of people requiring such treatments in Cyprus is “almost twice the average for Europe and the rest of the countries in the Mediterranean.”

“This is why we are seeing an increase of 115 per cent in the number of our fellow citizens undergoing haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis on our island during this period,” they said.

They added, “this continuous and prolonged increase in patients with serious kidney health problems goes hand in hand with a large financial burden on the health system.”

This, they said, “combined with insufficient planning and [a lack of] timely and correct treatment of chronic kidney disease in its initial stages, has led to many deficiencies in skilled medical and nursing staff.”

Looking at more positive signs, they said the implementation of Gesy has allowed for better access to healthcare services and specialist doctors for most people in Cyprus.

They added that this has made more frequent and regular health checks, which allow people to identify and treat chronic kidney disease earlier, “more achievable”.

“A simple blood test to assess kidney function and glucose, a general urinalysis to check for the presence of albumin or other signs of kidney damage, and a blood pressure check, are often enough for early diagnosis and treatment of these diseases,” they said.

They also pointed out that diabetes and arterial hypertension are “consensus factors” for the progression of chronic kidney disease which impact more than half of those undergoing dialysis.

For this reason, they said, “it is also important to combat obesity and excessive salt consumption.”

Meanwhile, Clea Papaellina, chairwoman of the Pancyprian Association of Friends of Kidney Patients, said there are currently more than 1,200 people in Cyprus with end-stage chronic kidney disease.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), she said that while there are haemodialysis units and nephrology units in all state hospitals across the country, the increasing number of people with chronic kidney disease has “started to create problems”.

“Despite the fact that nephrology in Cyprus is at a high level and the number of registered nephrologists has almost doubled in the last five years, there are still great difficulties in meeting the needs of kidney patients,” she said.

With this in mind, she said, “it is important for everyone to understand that we are all potential kidney patients, that we have to choose quality of life, to control our kidneys, how we can preserve our kidneys.”

She added that Thursday’s World Kidney Day is “an opportunity for us to highlight our issues and stand by the side of kidney patients and their families and intensify our efforts to support the fight that kidney patients are called to fight to cope with the difficulties they face every day.”