1. World Kidney Day is a joint initiative

2. Your kidneys are two of the most important organs in your body.
Without them your body just couldn’t function properly.
The kidneys make urine (wee/pee), and do many other important things for your body.
Your kidneys are located on either side of the spine just under your back ribs, but you can't feel them with your hands.
What are
kidneys?

3. Each kidney is about the size of your own clenched fist or a computer mouse. 
They have an unusual shape - kidney beans are named after them because they have the same shape.
Shape
Size

4. The kidneys do several important jobs that help to keep your body working well.
What kidneys do!

5. Kidneys check the nutrients that you get from food
The kidneys are on clean-up duty every minute of every day. In order to stay healthy, your body needs the right amount of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, proteins and all the other things that our body needs to function well). You get nutrients from the different foods that you eat. Kidneys check and control the minerals, vitamins and other nutrients that you get from your food and send anything that is not needed off into the urine (wee/pee). The urine made by your kidneys travels down to the bladder through tubes called the ureters, and when the bladder feels full enough, it sends a message to the brain that tells you to go to the toilet to get rid of the urine.

6. They make urine to get rid of extra water and waste products

7. Maintain the right amount of water in the body
Your body needs the right amount of water for it to work properly. The kidneys make sure that they let just enough water stay in the body and get rid of the rest.

8. They can change your blood pressure
GO!
The kidneys make a hormone – a special chemical messenger made by your body - that tells your heart how hard to pump blood around your body – this is called blood pressure. This hormone can make blood pressure rise when a higher pressure is needed to make sure that blood gets to all parts of your body.
They can change your blood pressure

9. They help the body make red blood cells
The kidneys make a hormone that tells the body when to make more red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen around your body, which keeps your body working.
They help the body make red blood cells

10. They produce active vitamin D
Vitamins are substances that your body needs so that it can work properly. Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium from dairy products (food produced from milk) and some other foods that you eat. Calcium is a mineral that you need to keep your bones and teeth strong.
They produce active vitamin D

11. When Kidneys don’t work well

12. Your body can work with only 1 kidney
Your body can still work quite well with only one kidney, as long as that kidney is healthy.
Your body can work with only 1 kidney

13. If both kidneys stop working for good
Dialysis
Trans-plantation
If both kidneys are badly damaged, they may stop being able to do their job. If this happens, a person will need a special treatment to stay alive—dialysis or a new kidney.
If both kidneys stop working for good

14. Hemodialysis Dialysis Peritoneal dialysis
Dialysis takes the place of what the kidneys do and remove water and chemical waste from the body. There are two kinds.
In one kind, called hemodialysis, the patient with kidney problems need to be hooked up to a special machine that acts like a kidney to wash and clean the blood.
In the other form of dialysis, called peritoneal dialysis, fluid is moved in and out of the belly through a tube, and the waste products that have accumulated in the body are exchanged through the fluid.  
Dialysis

15. Sometimes people whose kidneys have stopped working need to get a kidney transplant, which means that a new kidney from another person, often someone in the family, is put into their body to replace the function of their own kidneys. Once a person has a working transplant, dialysis is no longer needed.
Transplantation

16. Keep your kidneys healthy
Most people have healthy kidneys and there are several easy ways to help keep your kidneys healthy.

17. Drink enough water every day. Kidneys like water a LOT!

18. Don’t eat food with too much salt!
Don’t eat foods with too much salt – this increases your blood pressure and damages the kidney.

19. Don’t eat food with too much sugar and avoid soft drinks!

20. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables!
World Kidney Day 2016 'Move your feet' campaign urges everyone around the globe, from all cultures and ages, to keep fit and active. This campaign is a symbol to encourage people to maintain a minimum level of physical activity in any way they can, with their own means and frequency, regardless of their physical condition. Small steps can make a difference to keep healthy kidneys and we value every single effort.
Join WKD and Move your Feet!

21. Keep active! Play sports!

22. Do NOT smoke!

23. Do NOT take drugs!

24. Move your feet for
World Kidney Day is a joint initiative