March 13, 2025 is World Kidney Day. This year’s theme is “Are Your Kidneys Ok?”, a call to learn more about kidneys and kidney health.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated to affect approximately 850 million people worldwide. If left undetected and not treated timely, CKD can progress to kidney failure, leading to severe complications and premature mortality. By 2040, CKD is projected to become the fifth leading cause of years of life lost, highlighting the urgent need for global strategies to combat kidney disease. The major risk factors for kidney disease are diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity and family history of kidney disease. Early detection can improve quality of life for people with kidney disease. [World Kidney Day 2025 campaign].

The Renal program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre provides a wide range of services to people living in Northwestern Ontario with kidney disease. This includes education, decision making support and treatment provided in the Multi-Care Kidney Clinic, in the dialysis units, as well as pre and post transplant, and living kidney donation care. The goal is to provide the right care at the right time for our patients, knowing that their needs will change at the different stages of kidney disease.

For patients and families of those living with kidney disease, the Renal team has created new educational videos, illustrating some of the options available. They can be found on our website.