Kidney Research Vital to New Zealand’s Health

Thursday 8 March 2007

Kidney Research Vital to New Zealand’s Health

Chronic kidney disease and its effects account for about one third of New Zealand’s health costs and numbers of sufferers are set to increase dramatically, according to University of Otago researchers.

Today is World Kidney Day, part of the current National Drink Water Week (5-10 March) promoted by the New Zealand Kidney Foundation.

About 20 researchers from across the University, led by Professors Rob Walker and Zoltan Endre, have formed a renal health research group, dedicated to investigating innovative ways to prevent and treat kidney disease. The group’s expertise ranges from molecular and cellular-level investigations of kidney function, to applying therapies to prevent kidney injury or the progression of kidney disease.

Professor Walker says chronic kidney disease has a terrible impact on the lives of sufferers. “And we are going to see more people suffering from kidney disease as the nation’s diabetes epidemic continues to worsen.

“To help combat this alarming trend we need to prevent acute kidney problems from progressing to chronic kidney disease, which leads to renal failure and the need for dialysis.”

Professor Endre, based at Otago’s Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, says the group hopes to achieve this through bringing together researchers from many fields in a “benchtop to bedside” approach to investigating the mechanisms leading to either recovery or to progressive disease.

“This collaborative approach will also aid the cross-fertilisation of ideas between scientists and clinicians from diverse backgrounds. This is a key requirement for innovative research.”

Current research topics include efforts to find new markers for early acute renal failure so it can be treated before irreversible damage or death occurs.

Group members include researchers from the University’s clinical medical schools in Christchurch and Dunedin and from departments in the wider University. These include Department of Physiology and the Schools of Pharmacy and Physical Education. Strong links have been established between the researchers and DHBs, and with other research institutions nationally and internationally.

Notes:

Renal Health was recently established as a University of Otago research theme. Research Themes are areas of research in which the University is pre-eminent and to which it gives particular recognition and support.

It is estimated that up to one in seven New Zealanders may have renal disease (based on Australian epidemiology studies of a comparable population – AusDiab study)

Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) have a six fold increase in cardiovascular death, and diabetics with CKD have a 20 fold increase in cardiovascular death compared to the healthy population.

Diabetic Kidney Disease is the commonest cause of end stage renal disease leading to dialysis or transplantation in New Zealand, and accounted for 41 per cent of the 436 new cases in 2005.

ENDS

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