World Kidney Day 2023 – Kidney Health for All

This year World Kidney Day will take place on Thursday March 9th 2023.

The theme for 2023 is “Preparing for the unexpected, supporting the vulnerable”.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is an increasingly common disease in Ireland. Recent research suggests as many as one in seven adults have some form of kidney disease in Ireland.

As CKD is a silent disease with the diagnosis is often unexpected and it leaves the patient vulnerable to other medical complications. It is more common as we age.

Kidney health can be easily measured with a simple blood test and a urine sample test.

The good news is that it is easily detected and if managed early, the damage to the kidney can be minimised. Early diagnosis and treatment has been shown slow the rate of kidney damage, reduce the chances that you need dialysis and reduce the risks of developing medical problems such as high blood pressure, heart failure and or heart attack which are more common in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Treatment to prevent further kidney damage is relatively simple:

• Avoiding medications known to damage the kidney such as certain painkillers (Known as NSAIDS, such as Ibuprofen, naproxen diclofenac etc,)
• Checking blood pressure regularly - and if high: your doctor will prescribe medication to bring it back to the normal range
• Getting a urine test to check for protein & if present in urine, your doctor may prescribe medications to reduce the amount
• For patients with diabetes, controlling their diabetes better

Your doctor can advise you on how to control CKD with interventions that include early check-ups, blood pressure monitoring and blood sugar control as well as management of associated diseases such as heart disease.

World Kidney Day encourages everyone worldwide to not only be aware of the disease but to actively get themselves checked out.

In 2022, the number of people requiring treatment for complete kidney failure rose above 5,000 for the first time ever with 2466 patients requiring regular dialysis and 2682 patients living with functioning kidney transplant.

The National Renal Office tracks End-Stage Kidney Disease prevalence by location and the mode of treatment for patients receiving renal replacement therapy in Ireland.

For further information including end of year statistics, please visit our Programme Documents and Resources page.

TILDA Infographic for WKD 2023

In honour of World Kidney Day 2023, 9 March, the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) has released an infographic to highlight some of the key findings from a forthcoming report, in collaboration with the HSE National Renal Office.

The infographic can be found here:https://tilda.tcd.ie/news-events/2023/2308-World-Kidney-Day/