Here is something close to my heart, well sort of close, they are kind of at the back and around the sides.
This is Australian Kidney Health Week and while you may never give your wee strainers a second or even first thought, the good people at Kidney Health Australia want you to consider a few things.
• Overweight people increase their risk of developing kidney disease by 1.5 times
• Obese people double their risk of developing kidney disease
• 1.7 million Australian adults have at least one clinical sign of chronic kidney disease, yet
90% don’t know they do
• Estimated that 510,000 (or one third of) Australians have signs of chronic kidney disease
that may be due to obesity
• 90% of kidney function can be lost before it is detected; it is a silent killer
• One Australian dies every 25 minutes (or 60 per day) with kidney-related disease
• Number of Australians dependent on dialysis or kidney transplant to stay alive expected to
rise by 60% between 2011-220
• Obesity is also a risk factor for developing kidney stones and kidney cancer
• Severe obesity projected to rise by 13% by 2025
Personally I have never been obese, however I have had 3 episodes of what is medically referred to as renal colic, commonly known as kidney stones.
Apparently I have a predisposition to this very nasty affliction so I try and look after things so I don't have a fourth.
Let me tell you, when morphine doesn't work you're in strife!
Thursday is World Kidney Day, think about talking to your doctor about a test that could save your life.
Cliff