Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere is the theme for this year’s International Kidney Day

Lifestyle is deeply affected in kidney disease patients. Chronic kidney disease, its associated symptoms and its treatment (including medications, dietary and fluid restrictions, and kidney replacement therapy), can disrupt and constrain daily living and impair the overall quality of life of patients and their family members.

It is estimated that 850 million people in the world suffer from kidney disease and this is responsible for at least 2.4 million deaths a year.

There are important differences in how people are affected by kidney disease based on their ethnicity or race. This becomes a public health problem given the high cost of kidney replacement therapy.

African, American Indian, Hispanic, Asian and Aboriginal populations are known to suffer from higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure, which are leading causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD). These populations are therefore at higher risk of developing severe kidney disease and ultimately kidney failure.

One of the biggest problems with kidney disease is its late-stage diagnosis and its relationship with chronic and somewhat silent diseases such as diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure.

Taking steps to live a healthy lifestyle clearly helps to reduce risk, and early detection and treatment can slow or prevent the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure, and reduce the increased incidence of cardiovascular disease associated with kidney disease.

Leapcure’s goal is to promote awareness of kidney disease with the goal of prevention. We also work with studies that offer treatment alternatives to patients suffering from this condition. 

These initiatives and our partnership with patient advocacy groups allows Leapcure to know the context in which these patients develop health issues and what their needs are. Patients with different chronic kidney diseases and their family members, including care partners, should be empowered to achieve the health outcomes and life goals that are meaningful and important to them.

Toward this goal, we can all continue to amplify the voices of kidney disease patients that can lead to greater focus on improving their quality of life.