A charity has underscored the importance of early detection of chronic kidney disease as it encouraged people to take advantage of free screenings.

Lori Rockhead, the Bermuda Diabetes Association’s executive director, said that CKD can be tackled through treatment and lifestyle changes.

Screenings last year showed that 50 per cent of people who were checked for the disease by the charity were confirmed to be affected.

Of the 73 people who were determined as being at risk, 67 per cent were identified as experiencing the early stages of the disease — when kidney health can be most effectively treated.

CKD, which can be caused by risk factors such as diabetes, results in damages to the kidney as a result of high blood glucose levels.

The damage can cause problems leading to kidney failure.

“All participants had at least one risk factor,” a BDA spokeswoman said of the screenings last year.

She noted that the risk factors included diabetes and high blood pressure.

In addition, the spokeswoman said that 95 per cent of the participants did not know that their kidney health was at risk while 33 per cent were identified at a stage where guidelines recommend nephrology evaluation and intervention.

Ms Rockhead said that CKD can be prevented through diabetes treatment and that lifestyle changes can work as an important preventive method to combat the disease.

“There are no barriers to actually be screened at the association; people need it who are living with diabetes,” she pointed out

Ms Rockhead added: “That is so important because it can change a person’s entire future.

“When you can make lifestyle changes, you can take medication and you can delay or possibly prevent from ever going to the dialysis stage.”

She said the CKD screening programme at the association was designed to help people live healthy lives.

“It is specifically intended to help change the trajectory for people because if you can detect it earlier and get education on what you need to do, then you can totally change the direction your health will go in the future,” Ms Rockhead said.

She noted that she knows of many people on dialysis and their quality of life has been poor before the disease was diagnosed.

The BDA said that the disease is a “growing global challenge”, increasing in prevalence by 5 per cent annually, based on statistics provided by the medical journal The Lancet.

It highlighted that early diagnosis and management save kidneys and reduce the need for dialysis and kidney transplants.

Owing to under-diagnosis of the disease, the BDA said that kidney screening helps to identify people who are at risk and increase kidney health awareness.

“The three most common risk factors in Bermuda are having diabetes, high blood pressure and a family history of kidney disease,” the charity said.

“Early diagnosis helps to prevent the progression of the disease and reduces hospital admission,” it reminded residents.

The BDA said: “If diagnosed early, there are medication and lifestyle adaptations that can significantly improve your kidney health.”

As the charity marks Diabetes Awareness Month in November, It will soon publish CKD screening dates on its website. The charity also continues to offer free diabetic eye screenings.

Residents were urged to make appointments for screening sessions on November 12 and 13.

In March, Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, said the cost of caring for patients suffering from chronic kidney disease was unsustainable and that swift action was needed.

Speaking on World Kidney Day, she said kidney diseases posed a medical dilemma for Bermuda.

The minister noted that the disease was among the most costly medical conditions on the island, with treatment expenses ranging between $150,000 and $200,000 per patient annually.

In March 2024, the ministry launched the Chronic Kidney Disease Integrated Care Pathway Report — a plan “to enhance prevention, early detection and management of CKD across Bermuda”.

Peter Topham, a former consultant nephrologist with the Bermuda Hospitals Board, said that the report showed “significant financial, cultural and informational barriers” to accessing help for CKD.

Ms Wilson said in March that the care pathway reflected the Government’s commitment to improving patient outcomes and alleviating the strain the disease places on the healthcare system.

“Through targeted strategies, we aim to improve the quality of life for individuals living with CKD, reduce its prevalence and ease its financial impact on our healthcare system,” she said.