Burden of chronic kidney disease in Vietnam

Chronic kidney disease is a dangerous disease that often progresses silently and has no obvious symptoms until the condition becomes serious.

Chronic kidney disease is a condition in which the kidney function is impaired or stops working, unable to remove toxins and excess fluid from the blood.

Chronic kidney disease can lead to a series of complications. More dangerously, when chronic kidney disease progresses to end-stage renal failure, the patient needs dialysis or a kidney transplant to maintain life. With a high incidence, chronic kidney disease is currently a heavy burden for patients, families and especially the health system.

Chronic kidney disease can lead to a variety of complications.

Chronic kidney disease is a dangerous disease that often progresses silently and has no obvious symptoms until the condition becomes serious.

Therefore, many patients are diagnosed with chronic kidney disease at a late stage, increasing the risk of progression to end-stage renal disease and requiring renal replacement therapy. This not only reduces the patient's quality of life but also increases the economic and medical burden on the family and society.

In Vietnam, it is estimated that one in 10 people have chronic kidney disease and the rate of chronic kidney disease tends to increase over time.

In addition, the demand for dialysis treatment is increasing while the number of dialysis units and dialysis service providers only meets 30% of the needs of patients needing dialysis nationwide.

According to statistics, in 2019, the cost of chronic kidney disease management was higher than GDP per capita, and the cost of dialysis was 4 times higher than the cost of treating chronic kidney disease in the early stages.

Because of the above burdens and consequences, screening, early detection and timely treatment for patients with chronic kidney disease will help slow down the decline in kidney function, prevent the progression of the disease to renal replacement therapy and bring significant benefits to the health sector.

People with a history of or currently suffering from at least one of the following diseases: Diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease (heart failure, ischemic heart disease, etc.), overweight, obesity, acute renal failure, acute kidney injury, kidney stones, urinary stones, systemic diseases.

Regular check-ups are needed for the high-risk individuals mentioned above to screen, detect and treat chronic kidney disease early. Chronic kidney disease can be diagnosed early through blood and urine tests.

Chronic kidney disease screening is key to protecting your kidney health and ensuring you don't miss out on the most effective treatment when the disease is still in its early stages.

In August 2023, the Vietnam Urology and Nephrology Association updated the “Recommendations on diagnosis and treatment of chronic kidney disease and some kidney diseases” with the latest scientific and technical advances in the world. The recommendations were announced at the 17th Annual Scientific Conference of the Association - VUNA 2023.

After the Association's recommendations were issued, the Vietnam Urology and Nephrology Association continued to coordinate with the Vietnam Ministry of Health to draft and standardize professional documents on the treatment of chronic kidney disease.

On August 12, 2024, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health issued a Decision on "Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of chronic kidney disease and some kidney diseases" as a basis for doctors to apply in clinical practice to optimize patient protection and reduce the medical burden of chronic kidney disease.

This treatment guideline emphasizes the role of Sodium-Glucose Co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease.

SGLT2 inhibitors are one of the most remarkable advances in medicine in the 21st century with proven benefits in the comprehensive management of cardiovascular-renal-metabolic diseases.

Therefore, SGLT2 inhibitors are recommended in the treatment of patients with diabetes, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease.

From August 22-24, 2024, the 18th Annual Scientific Conference of the Vietnam Urology - Nephrology Association, and the 16th Scientific Conference of the Thua Thien Hue Urology - Nephrology Association (abbreviated as VUNA - Hue 2024) were held in Hue City. There was a discussion session on updating new advances in the field of nephrology that attracted the attention of speakers.

This workshop emphasized the role of screening and early detection of chronic kidney disease and SGLT2 inhibitors were considered as a new pillar, opening up hope for chronic kidney disease patients nationwide.