World Kidney Day is a global health awareness campaign commemorated annually on the second Thursday of March. This year's World Kidney Day observes the theme as "Kidney Health for All – Preparing for the unexpected, supporting the vulnerable."
World Kidney Day is a joint effort by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations - World Kidney Alliance (IFKF-WKA) and has been celebrated every year since 2006 to advocate good kidney health for all.
The first World Kidney Day honoured the theme "Are your kidneys OK?" Since then, this day has covered various topics like Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), the influence of diabetes, blood pressure, and other health conditions on kidneys, women's and children's kidney health, etc. However, recently, the focus has been laid on prevention and detection.
World Kidney Day primarily aims to raise awareness about the importance of kidneys and their remarkable bodily functions. Further, this day also highlights that CKD is strongly associated with diabetes and high blood pressure. The campaign promotes systematic screening of all patients with diabetes and hypertension for CKD. This day emphasizes the crucial role that medical professionals play in detecting and reducing the risk of CKD, especially in high-risk populations. Furthermore, World Kidney Day also advocates the importance of local and national health authorities in controlling the CKD epidemic and urges governments to invest in kidney screening. Eclectic activities, such as health screenings, educational programs, and fundraising events, mark the day.
World Kidney Day is a platform to attract attention to the global burden of kidney disease and encourage early detection and treatment of kidney disease to avert complications like kidney failure, which can be life-threatening. It is an opportunity for healthcare workers, patients, and individuals to come together and take measures to improve kidney health and prevent kidney disease.
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