World Kidney Day (10/03)

World Kidney Day has been celebrated annually on the second Thursday of March since 2006. It is essentially a global awareness-raising campaign to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys.

The establishment, organization and annual observance of this Day were the result of joint efforts of the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Renal Funds. The main goal of Kidney Day, these non-profit organizations, has designated – to attract the attention of international and government health organizations, as well as political structures capable of promoting the development of the healthcare system, to the problem of increasing the number of people with kidney diseases.

Among the objectives of Day – are the exchange of experience of specialists in this field of medicine, the development of a system for the prevention of renal diseases, the modernization and improvement of the quality of treatment of patients, the development of new medicines and medical equipment to provide care to patients and treat nephrological diseases.

According to WHO and International Nephrological Organizations and Societies, the number of patients with diseases of the renal system today is about 10% of the world's population, and this figure, unfortunately, is growing. In most cases, we are talking about severe chronic diseases, which often end in death, or diseases that become chronic.

Many have heard of the diagnosis of «acute renal failure» and «chronic renal failure», but few know that they are often a cause that increases the risk factor for death in other diseases. For example, with diseases of the cardiovascular system, diabetes, AIDS, etc. This is primarily due to the main function of the kidneys – by filtration and removal of toxins, harmful substances and excess salts from the body. Disruption of this function leads to rapid intoxication of the body, failure of all systems and, ultimately, death. Taking medications to treat any disease in conditions of renal failure – risk of poisoning the body.

Therefore, the annual observance of World Kidney Day is aimed at updating the topic of renal diseases and drawing attention to this problem primarily from nephrologists and medical nephrological organizations. Every year a new topic is chosen, which becomes the main one during the Day. Among the events are – seminars, lectures, scientific and practical conferences, symposiums on the exchange of experience, collecting information about nephrological diseases, innovations in the field of medicines, medical equipment for examination, diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Special attention is paid to conducting educational activities to work with the population. Here, a large role is given to representatives of medical institutions who are engaged in education in regional clinics and hospitals. Their task is to inform the population about the symptoms and methods of identifying renal diseases in the early and late stages, people at risk, and methods of preventing kidney diseases. A number of events are dedicated to people suffering from chronic renal failure, what difficulties, including psychological ones, they have to face.

In conclusion, I would like to talk about factors that have a detrimental effect on human kidney health, and about preventive measures to prevent the occurrence of kidney diseases.

Factors: 1. bad habits such as drinking alcohol and smoking; 2. drug use; 3. long-term, especially uncontrolled, use of medications; 4. insufficient consumption of drinking water, often caused by its replacement with juices, carbonated and tonic drinks (tea, etc.); 5, sedentary lifestyle; 6. poor nutrition, including excessive salt intake and unsustainable diets; 7. various types of chronic and infectious diseases; 8. external factors (cold and heat) associated with being in uncomfortable temperature conditions.

Photo: Sebastian Duda, licensed from Shutterstock.com

The rules that are important to follow when taking care of your health, including your kidneys: 1. regularly drink at least 1-1.5 liters of clean drinking water to promote kidney rinsing; 2. at least once a year, do blood and urine tests to monitor the condition of the kidneys, promptly identify any negative changes and neutralize them according to doctor’s orders; 3. lead a healthy, active lifestyle so as not to create stagnant processes in the body; 4. take care of proper nutrition, trying to increase your consumption of vegetables and fruits; 5. give up bad habits; 6. control blood pressure and body weight.

The main thing is to remember that it is better to prevent the disease than to treat it!

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