The Professor Emeritus Sa-nga Nilvarangkun, MD, Endowed Lectureship: Current Situation of Chronic Kidney Disease in Thailand.
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Abstract
The alarming increase in the number of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients in Thailand, particularly in the Northeast, is likely to lead to significant public health and future economic problems for both the patients and Thailand. This is due to the burden of high treatment costs, especially once patients require renal replacement therapy, either hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Regarding the prevalence of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) in Thailand, further research is still needed to confirm its exact causes, including the effects of various factors like heat stress, exposure to agricultural chemicals, and water source contamination. Awareness of the risk and presence of CKD among the Thai population remains low, resulting in most patients being diagnosed when they are already in an advanced stage of the disease. The Thai SEEK study found that only 1.9% of the population were aware that they had kidney disease. Therefore, early detection of CKD patients and appropriate treatment to slow down the deterioration of kidney function are crucial for those with CKD. Meanwhile, patients with end-stage renal disease should receive optimal treatment to minimize morbidity and mortality rates. It is expected that if the prevention and slowing of the progression of chronic kidney disease can
be effectively achieved, the prevalence of renal replacement therapy should gradually decrease in the future.
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