You probably woke up this morning not really giving your kidneys much thought.
But, here’s the thing: March 9 is actually World Kidney Day. And kidney disease is often described as a silent killer – many of us don’t realise that it affects about three million people in the UK alone.
So here are some tips on how to look after your kidneys.
It all seems pretty doable, right? Mainly involves giving your diet some thought, making sure to exercise regularly and maybe visiting your GP to check out your kidney function.
Of course, we’ve always got Twitter on hand to help us learn more about kidney health too.
It’s today! Happy #WorldKidneyDay! We’ve put the whole #kidneyhealth jigsaw together for you to share so we can tell everyone the facts. pic.twitter.com/4kt04B3WCL
— World Kidney Day UK (@kidneydayUK) March 9, 2017
Today is #WorldKidneyDay. Lots of people have no idea how important your kidneys are- make sure you look after yours!! pic.twitter.com/2V3bvCDksP
— Josep M. Campistol (@jmcampis) March 9, 2017
World Kidney Day is also an opportunity to raise awareness of organ donation.
62% of all people who’ve died waiting for a transplant since this time last year were waiting for a kidney. #WorldKidneyDay pic.twitter.com/mtVFABlc82
— NHS Organ Donation?? (@NHSOrganDonor) March 9, 2017
Since the last World Kidney Day in March 2016, 411 patients died while waiting for an organ transplant – of these 256 people were waiting for a kidney, or a kidney and another organ.
But the amount of time people in desperate need of a new kidney spend on the transplant waiting list has fallen significantly, health officials have said.
Well, here’s one more tweet to definitely keep in mind and motivate you to look after them kidneys.
It hurts to lose a friend, imagine what your kidneys are going through. Stay healthy, it is #WorldKidneyDay. https://t.co/Irwr4TQ4dl pic.twitter.com/b07hcj0yRn
— Bajaj Allianz Life (@BajajAllianzLIC) March 9, 2017