World Kidney Day 2018: ‘Women’s health’ is the theme in 2018
World Kidney Day 2018: ‘Women’s health’ is the theme in 2018
Ever since its inception in 2006, the World Kidney Day has been observed on the second Thursday of March with a special theme for the year and this time it is centred around "Kidneys and Women's Health".
Written by Ishita Goel
| New Delhi |
Published: March 8, 2018 9:00 am
World Kidney Day 2018 is about ‘Women’s Health’ this year. (Source: Thinkstock Images)
World Kidney Day, which is a global campaign aimed at raising awareness on the importance of kidneys, is going to be celebrated on March 8. Ever since its inception in 2006, it has been observed on the second Thursday of March with a special theme for the year and this time it is centred around “Kidneys and Women’s Health”. There is a need to address and educate the population on the dangers of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
What is Chronic Kidney Disease?
It is a progressive loss of kidney function over a period of months or years. The kidneys, which are responsible for filtering the blood of the body, have about a million tiny filters called nephrons. These stop working once they get damaged, which in turn affects the process of blood filtering. When this function falls down to a certain point, the kidneys stop working, which we commonly address as kidney failure.
What are the objectives of World Kidney Day?
The joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF) aims at:
* Highlighting diabetes and high blood pressure as key risk factors for Chronic Kidney Disease.
* Encouraging systematic screening of all patients with diabetes and hypertension for CKD.
* Educating about the preventive behaviours.
* Encouraging transplantation as a best-outcome option for kidney failure, and the act of organ donation as a life-saving initiative.
The World Kidney Day in 2017 had a theme of “Kidney Disease and Obesity”, while the year before that they laid emphasis on children. Kidney diseases are common, harmful and often treatable if diagnosed on time.
World Kidney Day 2018 is about ‘Women’s Health’ this year. (Source: Thinkstock Images)
