Launch of World Kidney Day

(Attending a photocall at the Mansion House, Dublin were Prof. George Mellotte, Clinical Lead, HSE National Renal Office (NRO),Carol Moore, Chief Executive, Irish Kidney Association and Tess Clinch, Events and Marketing, Diabetes Ireland. Picture Conor McCabe Photography)

World Kidney Day, which will be celebrated tomorrow, March 10, aims to bridge the knowledge gap to better kidney care.

To mark World Kidney Day, the Irish Kidney Association (IKA), in association with the HSE’s National Renal Office (NRO), is running an awareness campaign to highlight the importance of early screening for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

Diabetes Ireland is supporting the campaign to ensure that the core messaging about looking after your kidneys reaches one of the most common at-risk groups, i.e., people living with diabetes.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) significantly increases the risk of negative outcomes in people living with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure amongst other health conditions.

The IKA’s campaign aims to highlight that it is possible to prevent or slow down the progression of kidney disease through lifestyle changes and medication and that it all starts with simple blood and urine tests done through your GP to measure and monitor your kidney health.

The tagline message for the Irish Kidney Association’s campaign is ‘We’re Counting on You’.

This represents the importance for the public to be proactive in managing their kidney health and that they are being ‘counted on’ to get a simple blood test and urine test which will reveal their kidney function ‘numbers’.

These ‘numbers’ will represent how well the kidneys are functioning in filtering blood and removing waste from the body.

If Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is detected early enough, its progression, through the five stages of CKD, can be slowed down supporting better patient outcomes.

Risk factors towards developing Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) include

o   Diabetes

o   Hypertension (High blood pressure)

o   Cardiovascular Disease

o   Cancer

o   Liver conditions

o   Autoimmune diseases

o   Pre-eclampsia

o   Obesity

o   Family health history of kidney disease

o   Aged over 50

o   Long term use of over-the-counter medications

The Irish Kidney Association activities to mark World Kidney Day will include a media campaign involving print and social media as well as radio advertising.

An  information leaflet and poster will be available digitally to download from the Irish Kidney Association’s website www.ika.ie/kidneyhealth.

The Irish Kidney Association  will also host a free webinar register here on World Kidney Day, 10th March at 7pm led by Prof. George Mellotte, the National Clinical Lead for Renal Services,  HSE National Renal Office (NRO).

Patients will also share their health experiences, including one who, through early diagnosis of CKD, delayed dialysis treatment for 15  years.

In backing the Irish Kidney Association’s campaign for kidney health screening Prof. Mellotte stated, “People with Chronic Kidney Disease are medically vulnerable to the effects of high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

“It is important that people with Chronic Kidney Disease are identified so that they can seek the appropriate treatment in a timely manner”.

Speaking in advance of World Kidney Day 2022, Ms. Carol Moore, Chief Executive, Irish Kidney Association said:

“As there is no public health screening programme for kidney disease in Ireland, we hope that the ‘Counting On You’ awareness campaign to mark World Kidney Day will encourage the public to take action to look after their kidney health.

“We are pleased that the National Renal Office is endorsing the campaign and are delighted to be working closely with Diabetes Ireland to highlight the importance of kidney health screening as diabetes is one of the main risk factors for chronic kidney disease”.

In order to help prevent or delay the progression of Chronic Kidney Disease, it is important to eat a healthy balanced diet, take regular physical activity and have a weight that is normal for your height.

It is important for everyone in the high-risk group for CKD to maintain these healthy lifestyle choices as taking these steps will help to control diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol which will go a long way towards protecting the kidneys now and in the future.

The success of the campaign is also reliant on the valued support of healthcare professionals including GPs and Pharmacists.

The Irish Pharmacy Union is supporting the campaign through sharing its message on its digital and print platforms.

Some independent pharmacy chains are also promoting the campaign to their customers.

The collaboration between all these interest groups in supporting the campaign is an indicator of the importance of monitoring kidney health.

Early diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) through screening is key to better health outcomes while easing the burden on our health service.

World Kidney Day is held annually on the second Thursday in March.

It is a global awareness campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.

For more information www.ike.ie/kidneyhealth,  www.worldkidneyday.org  and www.diabetes.ie