World Kidney Day: Chronic Kidney Disease and ageing Around 600 million people worldwide have some form of kidney damage, and World Kidney Day 2014 aims to promote an awareness of the dangers. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is predicted to increase by 17 per cent over the next decade, and is now regarded as a global public health issue. If detected early and managed appropriately, however, the deterioration in kidney function can be slowed, or in some cases stopped. Unfortunately, awareness of kidney diseases is still very low and many underestimate the vital role kidneys play. Today is the ninth World Kidney Day (WKD), a day dedicated to global action. It is the most widely celebrated event focused on kidney health across the globe. WKD Steering Committee ISN Co-chair Professor John Feehally said: This year’s theme is focused on CKD and ageing. About half of people aged 75 or over have some degree of CKD. “We want them to be smart about their kidneys by taking a simple blood and urine test to detect CKD early. Our message to the general public is: talk to your doctor”. Today is the yearly occasion to raise awareness about the dangers of kidney disease and send a clear message to the general public that CKD is common, harmful, but treatable. This is important because CKD increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, and in some cases can progress to kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplantation. 1 in 10 people have some degree of CKD, and kidney disease can affect people of all ages and origins. Although CKD can occur at any age, it becomes more common with increasing age. After the age of 40, kidney filtration begins to fall by approximately 1 per cent per year. On top of the natural ageing of the kidneys, many conditions that damage the kidneys are more common in older people including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 06:26:04 +0000
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