By the time you feel fatigue or swelling, you've already lost significant capacity.
In a nation where an estimated 13 million people carry a disease they cannot feel, Quezon City has chosen to go looking for it. Partnering with Boehringer Ingelheim, the city launched a community kidney screening program on June 22 that has already reached over 8,000 residents—bringing early detection tools directly into neighborhoods rather than waiting for illness to announce itself. The effort reflects a broader reckoning with how chronic disease moves through populations silently, and how the distance between early intervention and dialysis dependency is often nothing more than a single missed test.
- Chronic kidney disease affects 1 in 10 people globally and an estimated 11.2% of Filipinos, yet most carry it unknowingly because early stages produce no symptoms whatsoever.
- By the time warning signs like swelling, fatigue, or changes in urination appear, kidney function has often already deteriorated to a point where treatment options are severely limited.
- Over 4,000 residents were screened at the June 22 launch alone, with the program now having reached more than 8,000 people across 21 barangays in Quezon City.
- Seven urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio machines donated by Boehringer Ingelheim will be distributed across all six city districts to sustain community-level screening beyond the launch event.
- High-risk groups—including the 1 in 3 diabetic adults and 1 in 5 hypertensive adults estimated to have CKD—remain largely unscreened, making neighborhood-based outreach a critical gap to close.
Quezon City has launched a quiet campaign against a disease most people don't know they have. On June 22, the city government partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim to introduce a kidney screening initiative—"Iwas Dialysis, Ligtas Kidneys: Get CheCKD habang maaga pa!"—bringing screening stations, risk assessments, and health counseling directly into neighborhoods. Over 4,000 residents were screened at the launch event at Quezon City Hall alone, with the total now surpassing 8,000 across 21 barangays.
The urgency is stark. An estimated 13 million Filipinos—roughly 11.2 percent of the population—are living with chronic kidney disease, many without knowing it. The condition is a silent one: in its early stages it produces no symptoms, allowing kidney function to decline unnoticed until damage is severe and options narrow to dialysis or transplant. Simple blood and urine tests can detect the disease long before symptoms emerge, but most people never get screened without a reason to suspect a problem.
To sustain the effort beyond its launch, Boehringer Ingelheim donated seven urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio machines to be distributed across all six of the city's districts. The program has already expanded from District 1 into District 2, including a pilot screening in Barangay Payatas that drew over 200 residents. Risk factors are well understood—diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular disease, family history, and age—yet many in these categories have never been tested.
At the launch, nephrologist Dr. Anthony Russell Villanueva spoke to the links between kidney, heart, and metabolic health, while CJ Luis of the Dialysis PH Support Group offered a personal account of living with CKD and the stakes of late detection. Mayor Joy Belmonte framed the initiative as part of a broader commitment to prevention, arguing that early screening of high-risk individuals can meaningfully slow disease progression. The machines are in place and the stations are running—the remaining question is whether enough residents will step forward to be checked before the silence breaks.
Quezon City has begun a quiet campaign against a disease most people don't know they have. On June 22, the city government partnered with pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim to launch a kidney screening initiative aimed at catching chronic kidney disease before it becomes a crisis. The program, called "Iwas Dialysis, Ligtas Kidneys: Get CheCKD habang maaga pa!" (Avoid Dialysis, Safe Kidneys: Get Checked Early), brought screening stations, risk assessments, and health counseling directly into neighborhoods—starting with over 4,000 residents screened at the launch event at Quezon City Hall.
The urgency behind the effort is stark. An estimated 13 million Filipinos—roughly 11.2 percent of the population—are living with chronic kidney disease right now, many without knowing it. Globally, about 1 in 10 people have the condition; in Asia, it's closer to 1 in 7. The Philippines faces a particular challenge: kidney disease is a silent killer. In its early stages, it produces no symptoms. People go about their lives with their kidney function quietly declining, only to discover the damage when it has already become severe and treatment options narrow dramatically. By then, dialysis or transplant may be the only path forward.
The kidneys do essential work—filtering waste from the blood, regulating blood pressure, maintaining bone health, and triggering the production of red blood cells. When that function deteriorates gradually, the body compensates until it cannot. Early warning signs, when they finally appear, include swelling in the feet and ankles, persistent fatigue, difficulty concentrating, muscle cramps, poor appetite, nausea, and changes in urination patterns. But these come late. Simple blood and urine tests—measuring estimated glomerular filtration rate and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio—can detect kidney damage long before symptoms emerge. The challenge has always been access. Most people don't get screened unless they have a reason to suspect a problem.
Quezon City's program has expanded beyond that single launch day. As of now, more than 8,000 residents have undergone screening and assessment through the initiative. The work has reached 21 barangays, concentrated initially in District 1, with recent expansion into District 2, including a pilot screening in Barangay Payatas that brought in over 200 residents. To sustain this effort, Boehringer Ingelheim donated seven urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio machines to the city government, equipment that will be distributed across all six districts to enable ongoing community-level detection.
The risk factors are well understood. People with diabetes face particular danger—roughly 1 in 3 diabetic adults have chronic kidney disease. The same ratio holds for hypertension: 1 in 5 adults with high blood pressure have kidney disease. Obesity, cardiovascular disease, a family history of kidney problems, and age over 60 all increase vulnerability. Yet many people in these categories have never been screened. The program's design acknowledges this gap by bringing services into neighborhoods rather than waiting for residents to navigate the health system.
At the launch, Dr. Anthony Russell Villanueva, a nephrologist from the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, spoke about the interconnection between kidney health and heart and metabolic health. CJ Luis, representing the Dialysis PH Support Group, shared his own experience living with chronic kidney disease, underscoring both the value of early detection and the reality of what happens when it comes too late. Quezon City Mayor Josefina "Joy" Belmonte framed the effort as part of a broader commitment to prevention: early screening of high-risk individuals can significantly slow disease progression, she said, and the city aims to move toward a future where every resident has access to early detection and the chance to act before their kidneys fail.
The program reflects a shift in how public health approaches chronic disease—moving resources upstream, toward prevention and early intervention rather than waiting to manage advanced illness. For millions of Filipinos already living with undiagnosed kidney disease, the difference between screening now and screening later could mean the difference between managing the condition and facing dialysis dependency. The machines are in place. The screening stations are running. The question now is whether enough people will step forward to be checked.
Citações Notáveis
Early screening of high-risk individuals can significantly delay chronic disease progression. Here in Quezon City, we are committed to our shared advocacy of healthy kidneys, good kidney health, and early detection and prevention.— Quezon City Mayor Josefina "Joy" Belmonte
Through this initiative, we aim to empower residents to better understand their kidney health and take timely action when needed.— Dr. Bin Wang, general manager of Boehringer Ingelheim (Philippines) Inc.
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does kidney disease stay hidden for so long? It seems like something the body would signal.
The kidneys are remarkably resilient. They can lose a lot of function before the body registers anything wrong. By the time you feel fatigue or swelling, you've already lost significant capacity. That's why it's called the silent disease.
So the screening program is really about catching it before people feel sick.
Exactly. A simple urine test can show kidney damage years before symptoms appear. The problem has always been that most people never get that test unless they're already seeing a doctor for something else.
And the people most at risk—diabetics, people with high blood pressure—they're the ones least likely to be screened?
Not necessarily least likely, but many fall through the cracks. If you have diabetes and hypertension, your risk is very high. But if you're not regularly seeing a specialist, you might not know to ask for a kidney screening.
What changes if someone gets screened early and finds out they have kidney disease?
Everything. You can start treatment, change your diet, manage your blood pressure more carefully, slow the progression. Without early detection, you're headed toward dialysis or transplant. With it, you might never need either.
Is the program sustainable? Seven machines across six districts seems like a start, but is it enough?
It's a beginning. The real test is whether the city keeps funding it and whether people actually use it. Screening only works if people show up and if they act on the results.
What does it mean that 13 million Filipinos already have this and don't know?
It means there's a massive gap between disease and diagnosis. Those 13 million people are living their lives thinking they're fine, but their kidneys are failing. Some will reach dialysis before they ever get screened.