In conjunction with World Kidney Day 2022 (on March 10), Astellas Pharma, a leading global pharmaceutical company, organized a virtual media forum themed “Bridge The Knowledge Gap To Better Kidney Care” on March 24, 2022.
The forum covered concerns surrounding topics such as the prevalence and causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Malaysia, treatment options for this non-communicable disease, including organ transplantation, and the challenges faced by CKD patients and their caregivers.
The forum featured expert panelists who shared their knowledge about chronic kidney disease and its treatment options in Malaysia.
Speaking during the session, Dr. Rosnawati Yahya, consultant nephrologist and transplantation unit head at Department of Nephrology, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, stated that CKD is a major health issue in Malaysia due to the rising number of cases and combined with low awareness of the disease may lead to late diagnosis and severe complications.
“CKD is more prevalent in Malaysia mainly due to the high rates of diabetes, hypertension and obesity in our population. Based on the 2018 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS), CKD affects about 15.5% of the country’s population, or roughly one in six Malaysians. The survey also revealed that the number of End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) patients has risen over the past seven years,” said Dr. Rosnawati who is also the president of Malaysian Society of Transplantation.
Associate professor Dr. Lim Soo Kun, consultant nephrologist and renal division head, Department of Medicine from University of Malaya said that treatment options are recommended based on the patient’s needs and their current and future best interests.
“There are effective treatments for CKD, including CKD to ESKD. While haemodialysis is the most common treatment for ESKD among Malaysians, kidney transplantation is the optimal treatment for late stage CKD patients, including those with ESKD, as it effectively offers a cure for the condition.
“CKD patients who undergo a kidney transplant will have a much better quality of life than those on dialysis. They will not need to be tied down to their dialysis schedule and their chances of living longer, with fewer health complications, are also much higher,” said Dr. Lim.
However, Dr. Hasdy Haron, senior clinical organ donation manager at National Transplant Resource Centre stated that the rate of organ donations in Malaysia is low, compared to other countries.
“As of 2018, only 1.3% of the population had opted-in to become organ donors after their death. In comparison, more than 22,000 patients in the country are in need of kidney transplants.
“Kidney transplants have been done in the country since 1975 when the first living kidney donation was performed in Hospital Kuala Lumpur. But the transplant rate in Malaysia is among the lowest, not only in the world, but in Asean countries as well. Looking at the prevalence of CKD in Malaysia, we must continue the effort to raise awareness for organ donations to help solve this scarcity,” said Dr. Hasdy.
He added that an organ donation is a noble act and its process follows strict procedures to ensure that both donor and patient are compatible and can undergo the procedure safely.
Kidney transplants are one of the procedures where the donor can be either living or brain-dead (also known as a cadaveric donor). Living donors, who must be related to the patients and agree to donate their kidneys voluntarily, can give their organs without detriment to their health, provided that they pass the necessary medical check-up beforehand. After the transplant, patients can go back to their lifestyle routines, although they will need to live healthily and take immunosuppressant medications for the rest of their life.
World Kidney Day is an annual global campaign organized by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations – World Kidney Alliance (IFKF-WKA). It is aimed at raising awareness of the importance of kidneys and reducing the impact of kidney disease worldwide. World Kidney Day is celebrated every year on the 2nd Thursday of March by convention. The theme for this year’s event is “Kidney Health for All”.
