MORE than 1,000 people here lost the use of their kidneys in 2006 and about 400 of them died within a year.
The state-run Health Promotion Board (HPB) released these figures to commemorate World Kidney Day today, which aims to raise awareness of the dangers of kidney diseases.
It said that 38 per cent of people on kidney dialysis die within the first year, compared to only 7 per cent of people who had transplants.
Dr Lye Wai Choong, a renal physician in private practice, said that of the 38 per cent, many die within the first three months.
Five years after they suffer from kidney failure, 89 per cent of those who received transplants are still alive, compared to 36 per cent of those on dialysis.
In the past, those on dialysis would not live beyond seven years. But with better treatment, some now do.
The figures from the board showed two worrying trends.
The number of people suffering from end-stage kidney failure has almost doubled in the past decade - from 562 new cases in 1997 to 1,084 new cases in 2006.
Diabetes, where the body is not able to break down sugars in the blood, accounts for six in 10 cases of kidney failure, up from just four a decade ago.
This is far higher than international figures of between 30 and 50 per cent. It is also well above rates in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
This means that either more people here are suffering from diabetes, or more are not able to control their blood-sugar levels, and hence end up with this deadly disease.
To encourage more diabetics to get proper treatment, the Ministry of Health allows people to draw up to $300 per Medisave account each year to pay for their outpatient treatment.
Unfortunately, close to half the people with diabetes here do not know they have the disease, according to a 2004 study. The HPB urged people to get their doctors to screen them for the disease.
Aside from kidney failure, diabetics are also at higher risk of getting heart attacks or stroke and going blind. They are also more prone to getting wounds that do not heal, with many losing toes or legs to gangrene.
Dr Lye said earlier detection and treatment would stave off the deadly effects of the disease.
End-stage kidney failure, where the organs are functioning at 15 per cent or less of capacity, could also result from inflammation of blood vessels in the kidney or severely high blood pressure.
Malays account for a disproportionate number of kidney-failure patients, followed by Indians. This reflects the higher incidence of diabetes within these ethnic groups.
The only good news from the figures is that people are suffering from kidney failure at an older age - at an average age of 62 years in 2006, compared to 56 in 1997.
Although transplants are far better treatment for such sufferers, only 53 of the 563 who were on the waiting list last year received one. Of these, 27 got a kidney from a relative, and the rest from a dead donor. In 2006, 117 patients got a transplant.
The board would like to encourage more relatives to donate their organs. It said that a person who donates a kidney does not suffer 'any significant adverse effect on his health'.
