World Kidney Day

World Kidney Day is a global health awareness campaign that brings attention to the importance of kidneys and our body’s indispensable need for fully functional ones. This Day is dedicated to educate the public about kidney conditions and to encourage people consider kidney donation as an effective way to help people with untreatable kidney diseases, 1 in 10 people is affected by kidney diseases globally.

The Body’s Filter :

Our kidneys are two bean-shaped  organs that are located in the right and left retroperitoneal space and are caged by the ribs. They play an essential roles in the body including removing waste products from the body through filtering blood, regulating blood pressure, and producing critical life-sustaining hormones….ect.

Managing Kidney Disease :

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive loss in kidney function (death of nephrons) over a period of months to years. When kidney function falls below a certain level it is called kidney failure, if left untreated it can be life-threatening and may require regulardialysis or eventually kidney transplantation. Early detection and treatment can often prevent kidney problems from progressing in to something serious.CKD and Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) often arise from the social conditions such as poverty, gender discrimination, lack of education, occupational hazards and pollution among others. Having a chronic diseases and medications put an extra pressure on the kidneys and makes you more prone to CKD and AKI therefore its encouraged to get routine checkups.

Keeping your kidneys healthy :

Kidneys are vital to your overall health, so it’s crucial to look after them. Here are some steps that can help you keep them in good a health;

•Stay hydrated :

Drinking plenty of water will help your kidneys function properly. Your urine should bestraw-coloured. If it’s any darker it may mean you need to drink more water.

•Eat healthy :

A balanced diet ensures you get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Have plenty of fruit and vegetables. Don’t eat too much salty or fatty food.

•Exercise regularly :

regular physical activity can stave off weight gain and high blood pressure.

•Monitor blood pressure :

High blood pressure can cause kidney damage. If high blood pressure occurs with other health issues like diabetes, heart disease, or high cholesterol, the impact on your body can be significant.

•Don’t smoke or drink too much alcohol :

Try to stop smoking completely and limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Drinking too much alcohol and smoking both raise your blood pressure.

•Keep slim to help your kidneys :

Being too heavy raises your blood pressure, which is bad for your kidneys. Try to keep yourself at a healthy weight by keeping active and not overeating.

Encouraging Organ Donation :

As kidney disease progresses, management and treatments becomes more difficult which may come down to medications, diet, and dialysis that is artificially eliminating waste produced from the body. kidney transplantation is also an option available for people suffering from kidney failure. Replacing the defective organ with a healthy one can help savingsomeone’s life by reversing poor kidney function and increasing life expectancy