This year’s World Kidney Day marked two decades of worldwide efforts to spread awareness about the importance of kidney health. First observed in 2006, World Kidney Day is a health awareness campaign created to raise awareness about kidney disease and health. This event is recognized annually on the second Thursday of March, and it’s quickly become a significant global campaign.
Each year follows a theme, and this year’s was “Kidney Health for All: Caring for Others, and Protecting the Planet.” Not only was this year’s focus on personal health, but it is also focused on showing how your environment and environmental factors can play a dramatic role on long term kidney function.
According to the World Kidney Association, kidney disease is not something that should be taken lightly, as it can have a drastic impact on health. Both in the United States and globally, kidney failure and disease causes nearly 1.5 million deaths each year.
In the United States alone, kidney disease has accounted for more than 55,000 deaths yearly and 135,000 new cases of kidney failure, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
The theme of this year’s campaign also focused on the role of environmental factors that can play a significant role in kidney health. For example, conditions like pollution and heat can increase the risk of kidney disease.
According to the International Society of Nephrology, two essential steps in reducing the risk of kidney disease are to improve the healthcare systems and expanding access to proper treatment.
I personally have had an up-front experience with the importance of kidney health as my younger sister was born with only one kidney. She has had restrictions put on her because of this, and it has caused her to have to live a more cautious life. My sister has to be careful when she is performing a physical activity as her long-term health is essentially on the line. Not only is caution important, but she also has to be more focused on proper hydration and stronger eating habits than others her age.
Her personal experience is an example of what many others with kidney conditions also have to battle. Even though she’s living a healthy life, it also comes with an increased level of caution and awareness others do not have to focus on.
The importance of kidney health cannot be overstated. It is one of the leading factors in death and without proper adjustments, that number will continue to rise.
Proper care and available assistance are steps in the right direction, and increased awareness from World Kidney Day may help improve kidney health.
