World Kidney Day’s Call for Action

March 08, 2007 | A far-reaching international public relations campaign organized by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) culminates today with the celebration of World Kidney Day (WKD).

Last year’s inaugural WKD featured a worldwide, internet-driven campaign to raise awareness of the manifold dangers of hypertension, renal and other vascular diseases. This year, the ISN has engaged the help of corporate sponsors including Genzyme, Roche, Amgen, and Wyeth. Celebrities lending support include actors Tom Hanks and Louis Gossett Jr., comedian George Lopez, and New Zealand rugby legend Jonah Lomu.

“The purpose of World Kidney Day is to reduce the incidence and impact of chronic kidney disease [CKD], which is a ‘silent’ disease that often goes undiagnosed,” said William Couser, president of ISN. “We have to spread the message that [CKD] is common and harmful but treatable – especially if detected early. We have proved that prevention measures work – now we need to convince health policy makers to push the ‘action’ button.”

Behind the slogan “Are Your Kidneys OK?” the Brussels-based promoters of WKD are seeking to increase awareness of CKD and associated cardiovascular mortality, among health professionals as well as the public, and to reinforce the global need for early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of CKD.

Free public kidney screenings are being offered in hospitals, community centers, and mobile clinics in 50 cities in China and more than 20 cities in the U.S. Other awareness-raising activities include seminars, public lectures, walkathons and press conferences. The WKD organizers have established a comprehensive website.

Call to Action
In an editorial published in a number of medical journals, the authors state that CKD is Common – affecting some 10 percent of the world’s adult population; Harmful – leading not only to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) but also cardiovascular disease; and Treatable -- early detection, lifestyle and controlling blood pressure can reduce the threat of ESRD and cut the incidence of serious cardiovascular disease.

“When we as a renal community become aware that early detection programs focused on the kidney can identify large numbers of patients who may be spared from other health complications or even premature death by simple interventions, we incur, in our view, a moral and ethical imperative to advocate for the implementation of such programs,” the editorial states.

The editorial calls ignorance a major challenge. “Surveys, even in better-educated and developed countries, have shown that less than 5 percent of the population can provide accurate answers to questions about where the kidneys are located and what they do.”

More than 35 million people are at risk of dying from kidney vascular disease by 2015 if things go unchecked. An estimated 500 million people worldwide have some form of CKD, including 20 million Americans. Chronic diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and CKD are the pervasive threat to public health, especially in developing countries, threatening healthcare budgets worldwide. Renal disease is increasingly seen as a “disease multiplier,” exacerbating symptoms in patients with diabetes and hypertension, and a good predictor of heart attacks.

Subscribe to Bio-IT World magazine.

----------------------------------

Want to read more expert articles like this? Send an email to:

[email protected]