World Kidney Day 2014: 'Chronic Kidney Disease and Aging'

World Kidney Day is observed to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining kidney health to prevent kidney disease.

World Kidney Day is observed every second Thursday of March to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining kidney health. A joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF), this year’s World Kidney Day will be observed on the 13^th of March.

The kidneys are important organs that help to excrete excessive water and byproducts of body metabolism through the urine. Every person has two kidneys; the presence of even one functional kidney is enough to survive. Severe damage to both kidneys requires frequent dialysis, and sometimes a transplant.

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This year’s theme for World Kidney Day is: Chronic Kidney Disease and Aging. Though kidney damage can take place at any age, older people have a higher chance of suffering from it. Chronic kidney disease damages kidneys slowly and often severely impairs the independence of a person. It can be a consequence of uncontrolled health conditions like diabetes and hypertension. Some over-the-counter painkillers also contribute to kidney damage. The kidney damage may not be very obvious in the early stages and is often detected after enough damage has been done.

Kidney damage can be detected by a simple blood test. Therefore, just as we do routine tests to check our blood sugars, it is also advisable to do a kidney function test regularly to test the health of the kidneys if you are at a high risk for kidney disease. Besides, a good control of high blood pressure and diabetes is necessary to prevent kidney damage. Lifestyle changes like smoking cessation, increase in physical activity and reduction in body weight contribute to the health of your kidneys. An adequate daily water intake also helps the kidneys.

While we take care of our own kidneys, it is also important here to make a mention about kidney donation. A person can survive on one healthy kidney; therefore, kidney donation is possible while a person is living, though there are some legal considerations regarding the same. However, it is even more important to pledge our kidneys once we die, so that they continue to live in some other individual!

Quiz on Kidney
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist, and are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of your spine.

Healthy kidneys filter about half a cup of blood every minute, removing wastes and extra water to make urine. The urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder through two thin tubes of muscle called ureters, one on each side of your bladder. The bladder stores urine. The kidneys, ureters, and bladder are partof the urinary tract.

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kidneys remove wastes and extra fluid from your body. Kidneys also remove acid that is produced by the cells of your body and maintain a healthy balance of water, salts, and minerals-such as sodium, calcium, phosphorus and potassium-in your blood ().

Without this balance, nerves, muscles, and other tissues in the body may not work normally.

Kidneys also make hormones that help

Control your blood pressure
Make red blood cells
Keep your bones strong and healthy

Reference:

1. www.worldkidneyday.org

Source-Medindia

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Kidney stones or calculus produces the most severe form of pain in humans. The pain has often been described to be worse than childbirth, broken bones, gunshot wounds, burns, or surgery. Once you form a kidney stone you are always susceptible to another stone. Take this quiz to find out how much do you know about stone disease. Once you complete find out how you fared compared to others who have taken the quiz.