World Kidney Day – 8th March 2018

World Kidney Day is observed to raise the awareness of how important role kidney plays in our overall health status.  World Kidney Day is a global Health campaign observed each year on the second Thursday of March. The day was first observed in 2006 by 66 countries and has not stopped ever since. The number was increased to 88 countries after two years in 2008.

First Ever World Kidney Day

Each year different Health organizations create events for the common man to get aware of kidney diseases and preventions and to realize the fact that kidney diseases are curable. The first-ever celebration of world Kidney day was initiated by the joint committee of “International Society of Nephrology and International Federation of Kidney Foundations”. The purpose of the day is to minimize the occurrence of kidney diseases by the adoption of precautions by common people and to look for new technologies of treatments.

Objectives of the Day

1.      Encourage people to adopt a preventive approach in life against kidney diseases.

2.      To let common people know that high blood pressure and diabetes makes you at higher risk of kidney diseases.

3.      To make people understand that kidney transplantation is the most effective and result oriented solution for kidney failure.

4.      To make realize the medical professional their professional responsibility to be more sensitive to the early detection of the kidney diseases.

5.      To drag the government attention to kidney diseases and emphasize on more investment to implement the new technologies of the kidney treatment. 

This year will witness the 13^th anniversary of World Kidney Day celebration. The world kidney day and international women day are going to be held on the same day this year 8th March 2018. The impactful coincidence of the occurrence on the same day is much appreciated and for the same reason, the World Kidney Day is more specific about Women Kidney Health.

Theme 2018: Woman and Chronic Kidney Disease

CKD is the highest level of threat to human life and it’s becoming the major reason for the kidney failure. The reason for the theme highlighting CKD specifically in women is the analytics and studies which shows women are more suffering from the disease. Women are at higher risk as compared to men which are 14 % risk chances for women and 12% for men.  While you can see the higher risk for women, on contradictory women are less observed on dialysis than men.  Certainly, the statistics are evident why CKD is the 8^th leading cause of women’s death. These are the reason for dedicating the day especially for women’s Kidney health this year. The reason for this difference of exposure to CKD could be low awareness of kidney diseases in women or it could be the social barrios for women in less developed countries, where they are less concerned about their health issues or they are over occupied with other responsibilities. In such countries a woman can have no access or limited access to health centers. As a result, the situation gets complicated due to lack of the early detection and diagnosis. The purpose of the day is to make people more willing to accept the fact that kidney transplant is the ultimate solution for kidney failure. Women are more likely to donate kidneys and are less likely to have them received. The reasons behind are social or psychological.

Women Fertility and Pregnancy

The much-needed awareness for women kidney health and equitable access to healthcare is highlighted this year 2018. Apart from general health, CKD is also the major reason for the reduced fertility in women. The pregnancy and kidney complications are inter-related to each other. It is more important to create awareness to address the issue of pregnancy and CKD. The expecting women who are suffering from CKD are at higher risks of hypertensive disorders and preterm births.

 

History of World Kidney Day

1.       2017 Kidney Disease & Obesity – Healthy Lifestyle for Healthy Kidneys

2.       2016 Kidney Disease & Children – Act Early to Prevent It!

3.       2015 Kidney Health for All

4.       2014 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and aging

5.       2013 Kidneys for Life – Stop Kidney Attack!

6.       2012 Donate – Kidneys for Life – Receive

7.       2011 Protect your kidneys: Save your heart

8.       2010 Protect your kidneys: Control diabetes

9.       2009 Protect your kidneys: Keep your pressure down

10.   2008 Your amazing kidneys!

11.   2007 CKD: Common, harmful and treatable

12.   2006 Are your kidneys OK?