Peterborough charity helps spread vital message on World Kidney Day

The charity said there are a staggering one million people in the UK who have undiagnosed kidney disease.

Dr Maria Tennant is head of communications at Kidney Research UK and says that kidney health is not thought about enough: “Our message in this year’s campaign is that the kidneys are the big topic that everyone’s ignoring. We are putting kidneys in the foreground to show that they are something you shouldn’t ignore.

“Kidneys are the unsung heroes inside our bodies. These small organs have a huge role to play in keeping us healthy – but when things do go wrong the consequences can be devastating. We want to help people look after their kidneys and to encourage those at risk to get their kidneys checked.”

World Kidney Day today is aiming to boost everyone’s awareness of kidneys. This year, the Kidney Charities Together Group in the UK, which includes Kidney Research UK, will be launching its biggest ever promotion of the annual event.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of our kidneys, the vital role they play and why people get kidney disease.

One of the ways the public can take part in World Kidney Day is by showing support on social media using an innovative digital sticker.

Designed to partly obscure users’ own imagery, the yellow kidney photo ‘takeover’ highlights the scale of the problem and that it should no longer be ignored.

This can be done through the World Kidney Day UK website and social media channels.

Currently, more than three million people in the UK are affected by chronic kidney disease.

Kidneys are an essential part of a healthy body, cleaning our blood every minute of the day.

Although anyone can develop kidney disease, there are some factors that can increase your risk.

· Uncontrolled diabetes or high blood pressure are the biggest causes of kidney failure

· People from black, Asian or an ethnic minority background are more likely to progress faster to kidney failure

· Heart and circulatory disease

· Family history of kidney disease.

If chronic kidney disease goes undetected or is not managed well, it can progress to kidney failure which is fatal if left untreated. An estimated 60,000 people in the UK die prematurely every year due to kidney disease.