Today is World Kidney Day

World kidney day, an international day to raise global health awareness about kidneys, is celebrated on the second Thursday of March and this year falls on March 11. This year’s theme is “Protect your kidneys: Control diabetes”, Info-Prim Neo has learned from the Moldovan Ministry of Health. In Moldova, 335 patients benefited over the course of last year from programmed hemodialysis treatment in 7 specialized medical sections in the country. It is estimated that approximately 400-600 million adults worldwide have chronic kidney disease. The first consequence of undetected CKD is the risk of developing progressive loss of kidney function leading to kidney failure and the need for dialysis treatment or a kidney transplant to maintain life. The second is premature death from associated cardiovascular disease. Most importantly, most forms of kidney disease are treatable, its progression can often be curtailed particularly if caught early. In 2006, when the World Kidney day was started, the UN General Assembly declared diabetes to be a global health threat. For the first time a non-infectious disease was seen as posing as serious a threat to global health as the infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. It was estimated that in 2007 over 246 million people worldwide had diabetes. This number is set to reach 380 million by 2025 if significant action is not taken. It threatens to undermine economic growth, particularly in developing countries, which currently shoulder most of the diabetes burden.