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Joseph A Vassalotti, Mount Sinai Hospital, Department of Medicine-Renal Medicine, New York, New York, USA; National Kidney Foundation, Inc., New York, New York, USA
Anna Francis, Queensland Children's Hospital, Department of Nephrology, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Augusto Cesar Soares Dos Santos Jr, Faculdade Ciencias Medicas de Minas Gerais, Brazil, Hospital das Clinicas, Ebserh, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil
Ricardo Correa-Rotter, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico
Dina Abdellatif, Department of Nephrology, Cairo University Hospital, Cairo, Egypt
Li-Li Hsiao, Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Stefanos Roumeliotis, Second Department of Nephrology, AHEPA University Hospital Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceFollow
Agnes Haris, Nephrology Department, Péterfy Hospital, Budapest, Hungary
Latha A Kumaraswami, Tamilnad Kidney Research (TANKER) Foundation, Chennai, India
Siu-Fai Lui, Division of Health System, Policy and Management, Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Alessandro Balducci, Italian Kidney Foundation, Rome, Italy
Vassilios Liakopoulos, Second Department of Nephrology, AHEPA University Hospital Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
World Kidney Day Joint Steering Committee

Abstract

Early identification of kidney disease can protect kidney health, prevent kidney disease progression and related complications, reduce cardiovascular disease risk and decrease mortality. We must ask “Are your kidneys ok?” using serum creatinine to estimate kidney function and urine albumin to assess for kidney and endothelial damage. Evaluation for causes and risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) includes testing for diabetes and measurement of blood pressure and body mass index. This World Kidney Day we assert that case-finding in high-risk populations, or even population level screening, can decrease the burden of kidney disease globally. Early-stage CKD is asymptomatic, simple to test for and recent paradigm shifting CKD treatments such as sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors dramatically improve outcomes and favor the cost-benefit analysis for screening or case-finding programs. Despite this, numerous barriers exist, including resource allocation, healthcare funding, healthcare infrastructure and healthcare-professional and population awareness of kidney disease. Coordinated efforts by major kidney non-governmental organizations to prioritise the kidney health agenda for governments and aligning early detection efforts with other current programs will maximise efficiencies.

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