By Dr Hilal Ahmad Malla
World Kidney Day, 2026 is observed globally on the second Thursday of March (12 March 2026). It is a joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN)and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF). Every year a specific theme is selected to celebrate the world kidney day. This year the theme is “Kidney Health for All – Caring for People, Protecting the Planet”, to emphasize and raise awareness about the impact of climate change on kidney health and vice versa.
As we know, kidneys are vital organs of our body and perform some of the very important functions like: filtering waste products and toxins from blood, maintaining blood pressure, maintaining electrolyte and acid–base balance, producing hormones for red blood cell production and bone health, and so on.
Yet, kidney disease often progresses silently. Many individuals remain asymptomatic until the disease reaches advanced stages. So, the key to diagnosis is early detection by creating awareness among the population regarding the symptoms and signs of kidney diseases.
The importance of creating awareness about the disease is also because Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is among the fastest growing causes of morbidity and mortality globally and affects nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide.
Among the major risk factors of chronic kidney disease (CKD) include: Diabetes mellitus, Hypertension, Obesity, Cardiovascular disease, Family history of kidney disease, etc. So the focus of screening should be on this section of the population so that kidney diseases are picked up early for better management, delaying progression and prevention of complications. In countries with limited healthcare access, late diagnosis and lack of dialysis facilities worsen outcomes.
The key to early diagnosis is commonly available Kidney function tests which can detect problems early, even before symptoms appear. Among these are the blood tests (like BUN, s. creatinine, serum cystatin-c level and electrolytes), urine tests (simple urinalysis to detect excess protein, white blood cells or Red blood cells; albumin to creatinine ratio or 24 hr urinary protein), and imaging studies (ultrasound examination of kidneys can provide information about the kidney size , shape and structural abnormalities, such as cysts, stones, or blockages). In some cases, a CT scan or MRI may be required for a more detailed examination.
Keeping the kidneys healthy is essential for overall well-being of our body. Several lifestyle changes and preventive measures can help protect kidney function and reduce the risk of kidney disease. Among the few are: staying well hydrated, following a balanced diet and maintaining an acceptable body weight, good control of blood pressure and blood sugars, smoking cessation, avoiding or minimising use of painkillers and self-medication.
Often silent in its early stages, CKD can progress unnoticed until it causes severe health consequences, profoundly impacting individuals, families, and communities. The disease significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular complications, reduces quality of life, and may advance to kidney failure, where survival depends on life-sustaining kidney replacement therapies such as dialysis or transplantation. Its burden is unevenly distributed, disproportionately affecting disadvantaged populations and exacerbating existing health inequalities.
The climate crisis and kidney diseases- a vicious cycle With the rising concerns of global warming, diminishing of glaciers and fresh water reserves has lead to water scarcity in different parts of world. This has resulted in many climate related adverse health risks. The rising temperatures and extreme weather conditions can result in dehydration, heat stress and can compound the risks of CKD and accelerate its progression. The rising global temperatures and extreme and untimely floods can also result in spreading of many tropical diseases (like malaria, leptospirosis, dengue, rickettsial diseases etc), which have direct impact on kidney function. The wide spread use of pesticides and contamination of water bodies with industrial pollutants adds another dimension to this crisis.
Keeping in view the global epidemic of non-communicable diseases and ever-growing number of kidney disease patients requiring renal replacement therapy, we currently have only two options available in an advanced kidney disease ie kidney transplant and dialysis. Since the number of kidney transplants done are still very low, majority of patients are on dialysis for prolonged periods of times. With current modalities of dialysis being much safer and effective and with widespread availability, has lead to increased life expectancy of CKD patients. This in turn has resulted in tremendous increase in the number of dialysis treatments done in last decade. These advancements have come at a price, paid by an already fragile climate, as these treatments are resource intensive requiring large volumes of water, energy and single use plastics. The environmental impact can be guessed by the fact that a single hemodialysis treatment utilises around 180-200 litres of water per patient per session, and can have a carbon footprint equivalent to driving a car for nearly 240 kilometers. This creates a vicious cycle wherein climate change and kidney disease worsen each other.
At the 78th World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted its first-ever resolution dedicated to kidney disease. This historic decision elevates kidney health as a global public health priority, recognizing World Kidney Day as a formal observance and urging action on prevention, awareness, treatment access, and environmental risk reduction.
To conclude, awareness of kidney disease, early detection in general and particularly in high-risk groups and timely management to prevent progression to advanced disease and awareness about kidney transplantation particularly cadaveric kidney donation, is the need of hour to reduce the environmental foot print of dialysis modalities.
(The author is Senior consultant nephrologist
Amandeep BR medicity, Tangpora bypass Srinagar)
