End-stage kidney disease

Kidney failure[1] is the fifth, and most severe stage of chronic kidney disease [45030]. People with kidney failure must either have regular dialysis (use a machine that filters the blood) or have a kidney transplant to stay alive [41038][39742]. These treatments are known as kidney replacement therapy [45031].

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience high rates of kidney failure [47770]. The condition is most common in the Northern Territory [37834][48007], and hospitalisation rates for the disease increase with remoteness [42032].

Initiatives such as the National Indigenous Kidney Transplantation Taskforce have been established to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients with kidney failure by facilitating improved access to the kidney transplant waiting list.

[1] Kidney failure’ is the preferred, person-centred alternative to terms such as ‘renal failure’, ‘end-stage renal disease’, ‘end-stage kidney disease’ and ‘renal disease’ [49982].