Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – August 16, 2022: Local and international experts recently came together in Riyadh to highlight the challenges patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) face. At an event focused on tackling unmet needs in CKD, experts revealed how CKD is often referred to as a “silent disease” and significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality.
Almost 2.6 million people suffer from CKD in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)1. Most patients do not experience any symptoms until the disease has progressed, and as few as 10 per cent of adults with CKD are diagnosed, even in stage three of the disease progression2,3. It is reported that 9 out of 10 people with CKD do not know they have it—in both developed and developing countries4.
Speaking about the importance of being diagnosed as early as possible, Prof. Abdulrahman Al-Shaikh, Professor of Medicine at King Abdulaziz University, Consultant Endocrinologist at Dr Soliman Fakeeh Hospital and Chairman of the Saudi Scientific Diabetes Society, stressed: “When patients experience CKD, they lose the ability to filter waste and fluid out of their blood. Damage to the kidneys cannot be reversed. But if doctors find CKD early, there are ways to keep the damage from getting worse, such as following a kidney-friendly eating plan, being active and taking certain medicines.”