Singapore - The number of people suffering from end-stage kidney failure in Singapore has nearly doubled in a decade, the Health Promotion Board said Thursday in commemorating World Kidney Day. There were 562 new cases in 1997 and 1,084 new cases in 2006, the board noted. About 400 of the cases in 2006 died within a year.
Diabetes, which occurs when the body is not able to break down sugars in the blood, accounts for six in 10 cases of kidney failure, up from four a decade ago, far higher than international figures of between 30 and 50 per cent and well above rates in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The breakdown said 38 per cent of those on dialysis die within the first year, compared to only 7 per cent of people who had kidney transplants. Five years after they suffer from kidney failure, 89 per cent of those who received transplants are still alive, compared to 36 per cent on dialysis.
Malays account for a disproportionate number of kidney failure patients, followed by Indians, reflecting the higher incidence of diabetes within these ethnic groups, the board said.
Close to half the people with diabetes do not know they have the disease, the board said, necessitating greater screening.
