The World kidney day is celebrated on 14 March 2024.
The theme for the year 2024 is ‘Kidney health for all-Advancing equitable access to care and optimal medication practice’
It is estimated that at least 1 in 10 people around the planet live with kidney disease.
Chronic kidney disease also abbreviated as CKD affects around 850 million people worldwide and it has caused 3.1 million deaths in 2019.
But the actual number of deaths attributed to kidney disease would be around 5 to 11 million.
Currently kidney disease is the 8th leading cause of death worldwide.
It has been estimated that by 2040 this will become the 5th leading cause of years of life lost.
We have to acknowledge the fact that there a lot of obstacles which we face like
- Lack of awareness about Chronic kidney disease among the general public
- Lack of confidence or knowledge in prescribing newer medications and the treatment costs
- Gaps in early diagnosis and screening
- Lack of universal healthcare or insurance coverage
Also there is a lack of awareness among primary healthcare workers about the need for early referral to a kidney specialist for early screening and prevention of kidney failure and dialysis.
The main focus over the last three decades in healthcare sector had been in developing newer dialysis therapies and renal replacement therapy.
But over the past few years there has been a rapid development in the therapeutic armamentarium that we have while facing the threat of kidney diseases.
This has offered great opportunities which help in preventing or delaying disease.
Kidney Medications
The medications which have in research studies and in actual clinical practice shown significant positive effects on the kidneys include
- SGLT2 inhibitors-on Dapagliflozin,Empagliflozin and Canagliflozin
- Renin angiotensin inhibitors-Telmisartan,olmesartan and candesartan
- Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists-Finerenone
- GLP-1 receptor agonists-semaglutide,liraglutide
These medications have all helped in delaying and preventing kidney disease progression.
Also they have helped mitigate complications like kidney failure,cardiovascular complications, and mortality.
The newer therapeutic modalities should be universally accessible to all patients in every country and environment.
To overcome all the obstacles in advancing equitable access to care as mentioned in the world kidney day theme for this year a global multipronged strategic mechanism is the need of the hour.
HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
There is a severe shortage of primary care professionals and kidney specialists or nephrologists in most of the countries who should be providing dedicated service to patients with kidney diseases.
The primary care professionals should be trained about appropriate early screening for Chronic kidney disease and to adhere strictly to international clinical practice guidelines.
Early referral to kidney specialists should be promoted in indicated situations.
It is a known fact that most of the patients with kidney failure come under the care of a nephrologist at advanced stage when few therapeutic options are left to offer.
HEALTH CARE POLICIES
There has to be an integration of kidney care with the current health policies.
The focus should be on
- Early screening of kidney disease
- Primary and secondary prevention of CKD
EQUITABLE ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE
There should be equitable access to quality health care to all people including screening tools for early diagnosis and advanced therapeutic techniques.
There should not be any discrimination in access to optimal healthcare in any part of the world based on race,caste or religion or other considerations.
This has been a particular focus of this year’s theme.
EMPOWERING PATIENTS AND COMMUNITIES
The patients should be empowered to get quality health care by overcoming the barriers mentioned.
The common man struggles to access quality care and medications due to
- Lack of general awareness
- misinformation campaigns especially on social media by unprofessional entities about kidney diseases and its treatment.
We need to focus on eliminating the stigma and misinformation about kidney disease in our society and the unethical treatment strategies followed by alternative medicine professionals in fooling innocent people.
A general awareness about the risk factors of CKD should be created among the people. like regarding
- Obesity
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Smoking
Conclusion
The equitable access to care and optimal medication practice can only be achieved if we address the obstacles like lack of awareness ,knowledge gaps among healthcare professionals about kidney disease
and also ensure universal healthcare coverage,early diagnosis,screening and therapeutic strategies.
FAQS
1.when is the world kidney day?
World kidney day is on march 14
2.What is the world kidney day 2024 theme?
The theme for the year 2024 is Kidney health for all-Advancing equitable access to care and optimal medication practice’
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