Today is World Kidney Day

World Kidney Day (WKD) is an annual global awareness and education event taking place today. The 2018 theme is "Kidney Disease and Women's Health".

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive loss in kidney function over a period of months or years. Each of our kidneys has around a million tiny filters, called nephrons. If these nephrons become damaged, they stop working. For a time healthy nephrons can take on the extra work. But if the damage continues, more and more nephrons shut down. After a certain point the nephrons that are left cannot filter our blood well enough to maintain good health.
When kidney function falls below a certain point, it's called kidney failure. This affects our whole body and can make us feel very ill. Untreated kidney failure can disrupt our quality of life and be life-threatening.
We can, however, take steps to reduce the risk of developing kidney disease:
-Keep fit and active
-Keep regular control of your blood sugar level
-Monitor your blood pressure
-Maintain a healthy fluid intake
-Do no take over-the-counter pills on a regular basis
-Eat healthily and keep your weight in check