The kidneys do amazing work every hour of every day to keep us healthy and well. But exactly what they do, and what can harm them? Kidney disease affects around 1 in 10 people worldwide and if left untreated, causes damage to the kidneys over several months or years, impairing their ability to function as they usually do.

Currently, more than 850 million people worldwide are estimated to have kidney disease. By 2030, cases are set to grow by around 15% and by 2040, they are predicted to become the fifth leading cause of lives lost. These numbers are alarming.

Kidney diseases are silent killers and can largely affect your quality of life. Many individuals with kidney disease have progressive loss of kidney function without ever knowing until the later stages of disease. This is why it’s so important that more people know about their own kidney health and ways to reduce the risk of developing kidney disease.

The kidneys are are complex and amazing organs that do many essential tasks to keep us healthy. They perform many complicated tasks in the body, they make urine, filter the blood and remove excess water and toxins. They also control your body’s chemical balance, blood pressure, keep the bones healthy, and help produce red blood cells, which enable oxygen to travel from the lungs to the organs and muscles around the body.

Talk to your primary care provider at your next wellness appointment with any kidney questions, and remember to always take good care of your kidneys, so they can keep up their amazing work too! Need a primary care provider? We can help – call our Network Navigation team at 317-468-4600 and our team can help you find a provider who is a perfect fit for you.

And should need specialty kidney care, know Hancock Health has a Nephrology service line and inpatient dialysis services, providing East Central Indiana with the world-class kidney care they need, right here close to home. Learn more and meet Mirza Baig, MD.

Resources:

World Kidney Day

National Kidney Foundation