On March 10, 2022, healthcare providers, counselors, hospice care workers, patients, and communities around the world will come together to celebrate World Kidney Day.

The World Kidney Day Joint Steering Committee has declared 2022 as the year of “kidney health for all,” calling on everyone to bridge the knowledge gap to create better kidney care by increasing education and awareness about kidney health. 

What is Chronic Kidney Disease?

Unfortunately, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is both all too common and harmful. In fact, as many as one in ten adults suffer from the disease worldwide, and more than 5 million people die each year due to lack of access to critical treatments for the disease.

 If left untreated, CKD is fatal, and death rates are rising. By 2040, CKD is expected to be the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. This is why officials want to focus their efforts on addressing the persistent CKD knowledge gap.

The WKD Joint Steering Committee calls for everyone worldwide to not only be aware of the disease but to actively know what their own kidney health measures are by being aware of the following symptoms:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Changes in how often you urinate
  • Chest pain
  • Shortness of breath
  • Swollen feet and ankles
  • High blood pressure that’s hard to control
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Decreased mental sharpness
  • Headaches
  • Persistent itching
  • Metallic taste
  • Muscle twitches
  • Muscle cramps

They also want people to take the following preventive actions:

  • Adopt a healthy diet and lifestyle, including improved access to clean water, healthy, fresh foods, exercise, and raising awareness about climate change prevention to maintain good kidney health and preserve the kidney’s functions.
  • Extend kidney patient education.
  • Recognize the rights of patients and caregivers to be able to assess, understand and use health information related to CKD.
  • Inform politicians about kidney disease’s impact failure on the health of their constituents as well as its associated burden on healthcare budgets and systems with the goal of encouraging the new policies and resources to tackle the global burden of kidney disease and ensure patients can live well with CKD.

Hospice Care Can Help

If you or a loved one is battling with CKD, it’s important to know you’re not alone. There are trained hospice and palliative care teams that include kidney disease specialists to make sure CKD patients can live out their final days comfortably, peacefully, and surrounded by their loved ones. Contact us today to learn more.