World Kidney Day is observed on the second Thursday of March every year as a global campaign to raise awareness about the importance of Kidney health and reduce the impact of Kidney diseases worldwide.
Every year, hundreds of organisations and individuals launch initiatives and events on WKD to help raise awareness of kidney disease.
It is a global health campaign that began 19 years ago, in 2006. Since then, organisations have always partnered together to run the campaign continuously.
World Kidney Day is a joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations – World Kidney Alliance (IFKF-WKA).
This year's World Kidney Day was organised under the theme, 'Are Your Kidneys ok? Detect early, protect kidney health.'
According to the European Society of Intensive Care (ESICM), Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects 850 million people worldwide and is on track to become the 5th leading cause of years of life lost by 2040.
Early detection is key—without timely intervention, CKD can progress to kidney failure, leading to severe complications and premature mortality.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes Chronic kidney disease (CKD) also called chronic kidney failure, as the gradual loss of kidney function.
In this case, the kidneys filter waste and excess fluids from the blood, which is then excreted in the urine.
When chronic kidney disease reaches an advanced stage, dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes, and wastes can build up in the body.
For CKD the signs and symptoms develop over time and may include a range of issues like nausea, loss of appetite, weakness, sleeping issues and high blood pressure.
The CKD that one faces may also be accelerated by other issues like diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, heart diseases and obesity.
In Kenya, diabetes is becoming a big public health concern. In 2021, around 821,500 adults were living with diabetes, and about four per cent of adults have the condition.
Most of these cases are Type 2 diabetes, which usually starts in adulthood. A large number of people with diabetes are not diagnosed, according to Kenya's Ministry of Health.
"Diabetes can affect small blood vessels. This can cause high blood pressure and also lead to kidney disease," Dr John Ngigi says.
Ngigi is the head of the Nephrology and Kidney Transplant Unit at Nairobi West Hospital and chairperson of Renal Association of Kenya.
Overall WHO says that no cure at all but depending on the underlying cause, some types of kidney disease can be treated.
The treatment offered to a patient suffering from Chronic Kidney Disease is just to help control signs and symptoms, reducing and controlling the progression of the disease and reducing complications faced from this.
Following the prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease in Kenya the number of patients is set to increase by 800,000 by 2030.
According to Kenya Renal Association, over the last three decades, CKD treatment efforts have centred on preparing for and delivering kidney replacement therapies.
However, recent therapeutic breakthroughs offer unprecedented opportunities to prevent or delay disease and mitigate complications such as cardiovascular disease and kidney failure, ultimately prolonging the quality and quantity of life for people living with CKD.
According to CDC, Managing risk factors like diabetes and high blood pressure can help prevent kidney problems like chronic kidney disease (CKD).
