World Kidney Day 2021: History, Theme and Significance

Every year, World Kidney Day is marked on the second Thursday of March. This year, the day is being observed on March 11 worldwide. In India, annually about two lakh people get kidney diseases and it’s difficult to diagnose it in its initial stage.

The objective of celebrating the event is to spread awareness about the increasing number of people contracting kidney diseases across the world. The day highlights the need for the strategies for prevention and management of kidney disease. It also encourages people to opt for regular screening and make changes for a healthy lifestyle.

The first time World Kidney Day was celebrated was in the year 2006. The aim is to raise awareness among people of kidney-related problems and treatment and the impact of kidney on our overall health. The number of kidney disease patients and following deaths have been increasing in our country. World Kidney Day is a global health campaign that brings focus to the importance of fighting kidney disease.

The theme of World Kidney Day 2021 is “Living Well with Kidney Disease”. World Kidney Day helps to reduce the impact of kidney disease and related health problems. Early symptoms of kidney disease include loss of appetite, fatigue and frequent vomiting, decreased urination, sleepiness, itching, and muscle strain. Some of the causes are consumption of alcohol, lack of water, overeating meat, high salt, excessive smoking, excessive use of analgesics, and less urination.

Kidneys are our body’s vital organs which filter the blood and help in passing waste as urine. The celebration of World Kidney Day was first started by the joint committee of International Society of Nephrology and International Federation of Kidney Foundations. Every year, health organisations celebrate the day to help people prevent kidney disease and also inform them to take precautions for a healthy life. They organise campaigns to spread messages about kidney diseases, their prevention and cure.

Tips for a healthy kidney

– Eat a balanced and healthy diet.

– Drink lots of water.

– Increase physical activity.

– reduce the cholesterol levels in the body.

– Keep high blood pressure under control.

– Diabetes patients should keep their sugar levels under control.

– Don’t smoke or quit smoking.

– Add more fibers in the diet.

– Reduce the habit of drinking alcohol

– Reduce hypertension

– Reduce excess salt from the diet.

– Eat more fruits and vegetables.