Journal de néphrologie et des maladies rénales

Q Kidney Risk Calculator Useful Tool in Hospitals and Community

Alinda Sze Fung Chiu

World kidney day is held in March every year from 2015 to 2019
in the private hospitals based in Mornington Peninsula and Frankston
suburbs in Victoria, Australia

The population in Frankston is approximately 160000 and
the Mornington Peninsula has 170000. Interestingly 15 % of the
population consists of elderly above 65 years old.

The aim of this annual kidney event is to create awareness of
kidney health to the local community in addition to analyse the elderly
population (above 65 years old) here who made up 30% of the dialysis
population in these areas. We hope to detect patients with early kidney
disease and hence to delay the progression of chronic kidney disease
in patients in these suburbs. Hopefully this will help to reduce the
number of patients requiring dialysis or transplant in the future. This,
in return, will help to save money for dialysis program which takes up
a good proportion of hospital’s revenue.
Q kidney risk calculator was used to calculate the risk of
developing moderate and severe kidney disease over 5 years and also
the likelihood of requiring dialysis or transplant. The calculated value
is in percentage (maximum is 100 %). The Q kidney risk formula is
based on sex , age , ethnicity, smoking status, diabetes, heart failure,
peripheral vascular disease, high blood pressure requiring treatment,
rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, history of
suffering from heart attack, angina, stroke or transient ischemic attack,
history of having kidney stones and family history of kidney disease.

We calculated the body mass index, height and weight of each
participant on the event day. We also measure the blood pressure of
each person that consented to the Q kidney risk questionnaire.
A kidney health check was conducted over a day in two private
hospitals (Peninsula Private Hospital and Beleura Hospital) in 2017.
243 participants enrolled in this study. The study population was
mobile inpatients, members from the public and health workers
(nurses, doctors, allied health workers and administrative staff).

Method: A Q risk calculator was used to assess the risk of
developing moderate and severe chronic kidney disease (eGFR <
60 mls/min) and risk of end stage renal failure requiring dialysis or
kidney transplant over the next 5 years. All participants consented
prior to being involved in the study.