March has long been recognized in the U.S. as National Kidney Month and globally, World Kidney Day (a joint program of the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations) is observed on the 2nd Thursday in March. This year, that day is today –  March 14th.

While both initiatives drive overall awareness and education around kidney health and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), this year both programs are dedicated to one of healthcares most difficult challenges – health disparities. World Kidney Day and National Kidney Month are focused specifically around health equity and the need for improved access to high-quality testing, care and treatment for all patients. Systemic barriers such as a lack of CKD awareness, availability of newer therapeutics or treatment (whether through access or affordability), or optimized care delivery persist on a global scale. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated to affect more than 850 million people worldwide and resulted in over 3.1 million deaths in 2019^[1].
If left unaddressed, it is projected to be the 5th leading cause of years of life lost by 2040^[2].

In the U.S alone, more than 37 million adults are estimated to have CKD and kidney health inequality remains stark. Kidney disease disproportionately affects communities of color and people of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease^[3]. Black or African Americans are almost four times more likely and Hispanics or Latinos are 1.3 times more likely to have kidney failure compared to White Americans^[4].

At Healthy.io we are committed to breaking the barriers associated with kidney care diagnosis and we fully support #KidneyHealthforAll and #KIDNEYEQUITYFORALL campaigns. To learn more, or to find ways that you can get involved and show your support this World Kidney Day, visit the World Kidney Day’s Kidney Health for All website here, or the NKF’s National Equity for All website here.