World Kidney Day 2020: Theme, History, Significance and Facts

World Kidney Day is celebrated every year on the second Thursday in March and in 2020 we are celebrating it on 12 March to raise awareness about the increasing burden of kidney diseases across the world and the need for the strategies for kidney disease prevention and management. Also, to encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Let us study more about World Kidney Day, the theme of 2019, history, objectives and some important facts related to kidney, etc. through this article.

World Kidney Day 2020: Theme

The Theme of 2020 World Kidney Day is “Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere” which aims to highlight the growing burden of kidney disease, kidney-related health disparity, and inequity around the world. Do you know that Chronic Kidney Disease is likely to be the 5th leading cause of Years of Life Lost by 2040?

World Kidney Day: History

To reduce the occurrence of kidney disease as well as related health problems, World Kidney Day is observed every year in March which is a global health campaign that focuses on the vital organ of the body that is the kidney. In 2006, the first time World Kidney Day was celebrated by 66 countries and number increases in two years that is become 88.

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The celebration of World Kidney Day was initiated by the joint committee of "International Society of Nephrology and International Federation of Kidney Foundations". Health organisations every year celebrate it to prevent people from kidney disease and also educate people to take precautions and how to live a healthy life. Also, health organisations organise campaigns, spread messages to the people about kidney diseases, complications and their prevention and cure.

World Kidney Day: Objectives

- To raise awareness about Kidneys and how to take care of them.

- To inform people that diabetes and high blood pressure are the key risk factors for Chronic Kidney Disease.

- To encourage people for systematic screening of all the patients suffering from diabetes and hypertension for Chronic Kidney Disease.

- To encourage people about preventive measures.

- To encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Do you know that various types of kidney disease can be prevented, delayed or kept under control when appropriate measures are taken properly?

- To provide or ensure that Kidney patients are getting basic health services that they need like blood pressure, cholesterol control, and essential medications.

- Need for transparent policies that govern equitable and sustainable access to advanced health care services like dialysis and transplantation and also better financial protection.

- We need to break down the socioeconomic barriers and expand access to comprehensive services in order to meet the needs of the population which is essential to guarantee equitable kidney care and increase quality.

How World Kidney Day is celebrated?

Several National, International level events are being organised by the kidney associations, organisations, kidney health stakeholders, healthcare professionals, authorities and to make the society free from kidney disease. To educate people through several camps, how to take care of kidney health. Several physical activities events are organised like walking, cycling, jogging, dancing etc. Also, posters, fact sheets related to the Kidney day event, themes are distributed in schools, colleges, community centers, other educational institutions. Not only this, to make people aware news published about the kidney diseases etc. on websites or web pages, blogs, forums or Facebook etc. Problems or issues related to kidneys like kidney disease and problems, kidney transplantation, life-saving aspect of the kidney donation etc. are discussed at job places, schools or other public places.

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Researchers at the big health centers organise meetings to discuss about their research work related to kidney and chronic kidney diseases, its preventive measures, treatment advice etc. Free health checkups are organised like screening of blood glucose level, creatine level, urine test, blood pressure etc.

Types of Kidney diseases
Kidney disease refers to the disorder or condition that affects the kidneys. Different types of Kidney diseases are:
- Alport Syndrome
- Diabetic Nephropathy
- Fabry Disease
- Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
- Glomerulonephritis
- IgA Nephropathy (Berger’s Disease)
- Kidney Stones
- Chronic Kidney Disease
- Nephrotic Syndrome
- Polycystic Kidney Disease or PKD

Tips to improve the health-related to kidney disease

- Eat a balanced and healthy diet.
- Drink lots of water.
- Increase physical activity.
- reduce the cholesterol levels in the body.
- Keep high blood pressure under control.
- Diabetes patients should keep their sugar levels under control.
- Don't smoke or quit smoking.
- Add more fibers in the diet.
- Reduce the habit of drinking alcohol
- Reduce hypertension
- Reduce excess salt from the diet.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.

Kidneys are the vital organs of our body that filter our blood and help the body to pass waste as urine. Therefore, to make people aware of the increasing problem of kidney disease World Kidney Day is celebrated every year second Thursday in March.

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