AI tool identifies hundreds of undiagnosed kidney disease patients in Päijät-Häme

Nearly 600 people at risk of chronic kidney disease were identified in Päijät-Häme during a pilot project, and 70 percent of them were diagnosed with the disease, Yle reports.

Harju Health, a joint venture between the Päijät-Häme wellbeing services county and Mehiläinen, tested Mehiläinen’s Aino technology for several months in late spring. The tool screened the medical records and laboratory results of about 7,000 people who had given permission for their information to be reviewed.

The artificial intelligence based software identified people with kidney disease or at risk of developing it and placed the information on healthcare staff’s worklists. Treatment was intensified for more than 100 patients, according to Minna Honkanen, chief executive of Harju Health and a specialist in general medicine.

Honkanen said that even some people receiving specialised healthcare have no diagnosis or necessary treatment. The tool is intended to help address this gap by identifying records indicating kidney disease more efficiently.

Chronic kidney disease is often entirely symptomless and affects as many as one in 10 Finnish adults. Early treatment can help patients avoid dialysis.

Mehiläinen estimates that expanding screening could save up to 500 million euros a year by identifying the risk of illness early and reducing the need for dialysis. According to the company, dialysis, which partly replaces kidney function, costs about 60,000 to 70,000 euros per patient each year.

Mehiläinen estimates, based on international studies, that Finland may have more than 100,000 undiagnosed patients. Honkanen said the disease can also cause significant human suffering, restrict the lives of patients and their families, and reduce functional capacity as it progresses.

A legislative reform that came into force in June creates conditions for expanding similar screenings, Mehiläinen said. The reform allows wellbeing services counties to use patient records to identify people at risk of illness, although detailed rules still govern how the information may be reviewed.

The pilot was carried out in cooperation with Harju Health, the Päijät-Häme wellbeing services county and AstraZeneca Oy. According to a statement, patients’ information was not transferred to AstraZeneca. Harju Health owns the pilot and is responsible for the care.