UCSC academic emphasizes the importance of making kidney care visible

On World Kidney Day, the nutritionist from the Faculty of Medicine, Mariel Lobos, emphasized the need to raise awareness in prevention and timely treatment.

By UCSC communications.-“Kidney health for all: Preparing for the unexpected, supporting the vulnerable” is this year’s motto as part of World Kidney Day, which is commemorated on the second Thursday of March.

The purpose of this anniversary is to raise awareness about the real scope of preventing, detecting and treating kidney diseases in children and adults early, especially if it is estimated that 10% of the world population is affected by this silent disease, which threatens to increase the number by leaps and bounds.

This version wants to make visible the strong impact that some natural and social events such as environmental disasters, wars, extreme weather conditions, health contingencies such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic have on people with kidney disease.

“They become more vulnerable due to the inability to access care, drugs, supplies, high-cost therapy and adequate care. Therefore, the importance of covering the need for greater support and preparation for them and their families, in the face of emergency situations” commented the UCSC renal nutritionist, Mariel Lobos.

The specialist from the PROSALUD team, belonging to the UCSC Scientific and Technological Nucleus, added that “in recent years, at the local level, we have experienced how clinical teams and infrastructure have been collapsed by natural and health disasters, with the consequent discontinuity in care and subsequent deterioration in health, especially of people with chronic diseases. We have seen how they have ‘reacted’ to the unexpected, learning that should settle the foundations of permanent preparation for future threats, optimizing the will, political and health commitment at the service of people with kidney disease”.

In that sense, the current climate emergency should call for even more preparation. According to research, this environmental disaster presents a bidirectional relationship with kidney disease “each one worsens the other”, it is mentioned that excessive heat increases the risk of acute and chronic kidney diseases, in addition particle pollution would potentially be responsible for a significant burden of chronic kidney disease and on the other hand dialysis therapy, represents one of the highest ecological footprints in the entire spectrum of clinical care, specifically through the high consumption of energy, water and single-use plastic in dialysis.

“Improve care strategies that manage to cover the continuous needs of the vulnerable population, the formation of specialized clinical teams that favor quality coverage in renal health, providing continuous education, interdisciplinary support and whose efforts allow slowing down the progression of the disease. renal and with this the need to require dialysis could be avoided as much as possible.

It is a necessary and great challenge to prepare ourselves, face unexpected scenarios and minimize the impact on the health and quality of life of people with kidney disease. Being prepared to meet the health care needs of people with kidney disease always and at all times, especially in emergency situations, is the call of World Kidney Day 2023”, concluded the academic from the Faculty of Medicine.