This year world kidney day 2023 is celebrated on March 9th with various events around the world. To mark the occasion, we are raising awareness about what the campaign is about and why it is important to maintain healthy kidney function.

World Kidney Day is a global campaign aimed at educating people about kidney health. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a growing problem affecting people around the world, so today is the perfect time to bring the disease to the attention of the public.

The main goals of World Kidney Day are to raise awareness of kidney health, inspire preventative decision-making, encourage systematic screening worldwide, inform health professionals, and promote the best outcomes for kidney failure and also to promote transplantation.

Burden of Chronic Kidney Disease in World and India:

- Over the last few decades non-communicable disease has been recognized as one of the greatest health challenges causing massive, long-term increase in mortality and morbidity

- Approximately 1 in 10 people in the world is suffering from chronic kidney disease

- It is the 12^th leading cause of death worldwide

- The mortality due to chronic kidney disease has increased by 45% from 1990 to 2017

- Commonest cause of developing chronic kidney disease is hypertension and diabetes

- In India the prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease is very high, around 13% to 17%

- By 2030 India is going to be the diabetes capital of the world with consequent increase in chronic kidney disease.

- In India 90% of ESKD (End stage Kidney Disease) needs more affordable dialysis care

With high morbidity, prevalence and mortality, CKD is an important public health problem. Several issues contribute to the high prevalence of CKD in India. According to UNICEF, 28% of children are born weighing less than 2.5 kg. Vitamin A deficiency and other nutritional issues during pregnancy can lead to smaller kidneys and lower eGFR at birth. Genetic inbreeding and Consanguinity increase the risk of congenital kidney and urinary tract disease and obstructive kidney disease or reflux disease.

Poor sanitation, pollutants, water pollution, overcrowding, and known and unknown nephrotoxins (including heavy metals and phytotoxins in home remedies) can lead to glomerular and interstitial kidney disease. In addition to this exposure, there is a growing burden of hypertension and diabetes. By 2030, India is expected to have the highest number of diabetes patients in the world.

Due to challenges in accessing care, more than 50% of patients with advanced CKD present for the first time with an eGFR < 15 mL/min per 1.73 m2. This sobering figure highlights the need for a robust screening program for those at risk for CKD. The reported prevalence of CKD ranges from <1% to 13% in different regions, with recent data from the International Society of Nephrology's Kidney Disease Data Center study reporting a prevalence of 17%. The etiology of CKD varies greatly across India. Parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Goa have high rates of Chronic Kidney Disease.

Serving 3 billion people, 1,850 nephrologists are unevenly distributed but mostly concentrated in urban centers. Nephrology training positions are insufficient to increase the workforce, and this is exacerbated by the “brain drain” to developed countries.

Kidney health challenges:

Despite the growing burden of kidney disease worldwide, inequalities and inequalities in kidney health remain widespread. Transplantation has high set-up costs in terms of infrastructure, requires highly specialized teams, and availability of organ donors, and cannot be performed without dialysis backup. Physical and legal infrastructure requirements and cultural biases against organ donation are barriers in many countries, making dialysis the default option.

What is Chronic Kidney Disease?

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the progressive loss of kidney function over months or years. When kidney function drops below a certain level, called renal failure, untreated renal failure can be life-threatening, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant to sustain life. Chronic kidney disease can be caused by diabetes, high blood pressure, and other illnesses. Early detection and treatment can often prevent chronic kidney disease from getting worse. CKD and AKI often result from social conditions such as poverty, sexism, lack of education, occupational hazards, and environmental pollution.

You should know:

- Kidney disease is a silent killer. Early chronic kidney disease has no signs or symptoms

- Chronic kidney disease is usually incurable

- Untreated Chronic Kidney disease can progress to kidney failure

- With early and effective intervention lifespan can be prolonged and disease progression slowed

- Blood and urine tests are used to check for kidney disease

- Kidney disease can be treated. Early diagnosis of CKD increases the chances of effective treatment

- Diabetes and hypertension are the most important risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD)