Celebrating World Kidney Day

It is the yearly occasion to raise awareness about the dangers of kidney disease and to send a clear message to the public and governments that chronic kidney disease CKD is common, harmful and treatable.

CKD, predicted to increase by 17% over the next decade, is now recognised as global public health issue. If detected early and managed appropriately, the deterioration in kidney function can be slowed or even stopped - yet awareness of kidney diseases is still very low and many people underestimate the vital role their kidneys play. Around 600 million persons worldwide have some form of kidney damage.

"Our mission is to stimulate awareness, discussion, education and policy development leading to improved prevention and treatment of CKD. This year's theme is focused on CKD and aging: about half of people aged 75 or more have some degree of CKD. We want them to be smart about their kidneys by taking a simple blood and urine tests to detect CKD early. Our message to the general public is talk to your doctor," says WKD steering committee ISN co-chair, Prof John Feehally.

Aging kidneys

Kidneys age, just like you and about 1 in 10 people have some degree of CKD. Kidney disease can affect people of all ages and origins. Although CKD can occur at any age, it becomes more common with increasing age. After the age of 40, kidney filtration begins to fall by approximately 1% per year. On top of the natural aging of the kidneys, many conditions that damage the kidneys are more common in older people including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. This is important because CKD increases the risk of heart attack and stroke and, in some cases, can progress to kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplantation.

Have a glass of water today

On World Kidney Day, civil society, governments, health professionals and patients around the globe are invited to start their day with a glass of water and to encourage their families, friends and co-worker to do the same. This symbolic gesture brings a powerful connection with a common and simple act to get everyone to think about his or her kidneys. Water may protect your kidneys, however there is no scientific statement behind this idea since there is no firm evidence that drinking water lowers the risk for CKD.

The WKD steering committee IFKF co-chair, Prof. Guillermo Garcia Garcia encourages everyone to support World Kidney Day. "Drinking a glass of water will not cure your kidneys, but will certainly help you to remember that you need to take care of them. So join us and start your day on 13 March 2014 by drinking a glass of water and hopefully this daily act will be a powerful reminder in the future."

For more information, go to www.worldkidneyday.org and www.ifkf.org.