World Kidney Day: why is it celebrated?

World Kidney Day – which is celebrated on the day of this March 11 – fulfills the task of exposing the preponderance of good living for those affected by chronic kidney disease. However, with the mission of capturing the dynamics of the commemoration and the disease that harms the kidneys, we are going to briefly meet the protagonist.

The kidneys have a very important responsibility in the body, since they filter the blood, dispose of the disproportion of fluid together with toxins, balance the substances present in the blood and have a relevant effect on blood pressure. By understanding this, we can take a long look at what causes a malfunction.

Celebration of World Kidney Day

World Kidney Day is developed to sensitize the population and recognize the relevance of the kidneys to the body. What is sought is the generation of preventive awareness, timely information on risk factors and an understanding of the ideal way to cope with a major kidney complication.

The phrase selected for the 2021 event makes the goal clear "living well with kidney disease." This day was made possible, initially, thanks to the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF).

"The kidneys are part of the essence of life, so taking care of them will promote longevity."

Goals of World Kidney Day

The objectives of World Kidney Day are multiple and important in their proper measure so that the information reaches all points and thus achieve the desired global awareness. Among the main ones are the following:

• Bring valuable data to different medical sectors on the successful diagnosis and avoidance of the disease.
• Denote the risk factors that trigger the pathology.
• Give value to kidney transplantation as a highly effective way to combat kidney failure.
• Encourage the population to assume the responsibility of being a donor as a heroic gesture that can change the world.
• Ask the health authorities to take it seriously It deserves the investment in tests that can determine kidney problems.

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Topics from previous years

Every year since 2006, World Kidney Day features a theme that they focus on to boost their advancement. As we mentioned before, "living well with kidney disease" is the motto for 2021. At the same time, it is interesting to highlight the themes of previous years to note the evolution of the commemoration:

2006: «Are your kidneys okay? ". A warning was sought for the early identification of kidney failure.

2007: «CKD: common, harmful and treatable ». He expressed that it is a difficulty that you can live with, but that it has alarming adverse effects if it is not attended to in time.

2008: «Your amazing kidneys! ". Enhance the role of the kidneys in the body.

2009: «Protect your kidneys: keep the pressure down ». The relevance of controlling blood pressure so that the blood vessels of the kidneys are not damaged.

2010: «Protect your kidneys: control diabetes ». Show that high blood sugar levels are harmful to the kidneys.

2011: «Protect your kidneys: save your heart ». Show the relationship between kidney problems and heart difficulties.

2012: «Donate – Kidneys for Life – Receive ». Emphasize donation as a great solution.

2013: «Kidneys for Life – Stop Kidney Attack! ». Stop damage to the kidneys from a precautionary activity.

2014: "Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and aging ». Increased incidence of CKD in older people.

2015: «Kidney health for all ». Search for the health balance to treat the different deficiencies in the kidneys.

Last 5 years

2016: «Kidney Disease and Children: Act Early to Prevent It! ». Constant care for the kidney health of the little ones to avoid long-term difficulties.

2017: «Kidney Disease and Obesity: Healthy Lifestyle for Healthy Kidneys ». Obesity as a risk factor due to inconveniences in the synthesis of cytokines in fatty tissue.

2018: «Kidneys and women's health. Include, value, empower ». Intended for female patients to speak out in the battle against kidney failure.

2019: «Kidney health for everyone everywhere ». He tried to assess fairness in the treatment of anyone affected by kidney problems.

2020: «Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere: From Prevention to Screening and Equitable Access to Care ». It was given a broad approach to address numerous sectors in the celebration.

What is chronic kidney disease?

Chronic kidney disease is the gradual reduction of kidney performance, which can occur in variable periods. The deterioration is marked by damage to the nephrons (small filters that purify the blood), which are able to withstand work with some damaged troops. However, there comes a point where the filtering process is poor and the blood notices it.

Causes

Among the main causes are high blood pressure, diabetes, glomerulonephritis, and chronic pyelonephritis. On the other hand, there is a probability associated with the hereditary factor. As well, there are some medications that can cause chronic kidney failure if taken for a long time.

In short, the cause that exhibits the greatest possibility of leading to CKD is diabetes. According to surveys, 1 in 3 cases of kidney difficulties arise from people with this problem related to excess sugar in the blood.

Importance of early diagnosis

The effort that has been made since World Kidney Day to perfect the early diagnosis phase is due to the fact that gives specialists more room for maneuver to slow down deterioration. Remember that symptoms can be silent until kidney failure reaches 90%.

It is evident that time acts as the main ally so that derivative complications do not affect the treatment that each patient requires. Thus, early diagnosis saves lives.

Treatments and recovery

The first thing to note is that the disease cannot be cured. Nevertheless, patients' options are to slow down the damage or stop it. The initiatives that are managed are the following:

• Detailed diet and medicines according to the case. This regulates the acidity that was previously the sole responsibility of the kidneys.
• Dialysis. It is responsible for doing the cleaning work in the blood that the kidneys can no longer do. This option is reserved for critical cases.
• Kidney transplant. It is considered the only pathway when it comes to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). At this point, the kidneys are no longer able to survive.

Recovery time depends on the treatment and the severity of the case. Despite this, follow-up to the disease must be recurrent, since carelessness can put the patient's life at risk.

Also read: Why can the kidneys hurt?

How can I contribute to World Kidney Day 2021?

What is sought is to create awareness and expand information. Therefore, the best way to contribute is to replicate the information from the networks using the official poster. In addition, expressing some personal or close experience can contribute to raising awareness.

Another variant of the contribution is in donations and charitable events to raise funds. Meanwhile, the forms of help that can be manifested remotely every year are increasing.

What you must remember

Early diagnosis is the basic tool for coping with chronic kidney disease. For this reason, waiting for symptoms is not an option; yes it is taking action.

In this sense, it is also convenient to adopt habits to reduce risk, such as adopting a low-salt diet, discarding tobacco, reducing alcohol consumption and applying exercise in the daily routine. Life is in the kidneys!