The Council of the ERA-EDTA and Prof. Dr. Christoph Wanner, president of the ERA-EDTA, have launched the "Strong Kidneys" campaign. The aim of the "Strong Kidneys" campaign is to raise public awareness of kidney disease, with special focus on prevention and early detection of kidney disease.

Prof. Wanner hopes that as many people as possible will learn about the importance of kidney health through the campaign. A short video gives a clear explanation of the function of the kidneys, what kidney disease is, how to keep kidneys healthy and the importance of regular kidney check ups in those at high risk of developing kidney disease. “We would like to trigger a Europe-wide campaign in which the national nephrological societies play a role in informing the population in their respective countries about kidney disease and its prevention” says Prof. Wanner.

Kidney disease progresses often unnoticed. Symptoms can be absent until shortly before organ failure. Moreover, initial symptoms can be very nonspecific. The prevalence of kidney disease is high in the general population. About 10% of the adults in Europe has reduced kidney function. Early detection of kidney disease is therefore very important to delay the need for dialysis. As kidney disease is a risk factor for CVD, early detection and treatment of kidney disease also reduces the risk of CV events.