Today is World Kidney Day

It's a great day to celebrate the organ that makes your pee!

Jon's Top 10 Kidney Facts

1. 1 out of every 750 people is born with only one kidney.  The darn things are so efficient that most never even know it.
2. The top causes of kidney failure are diabetes (44%) and high blood pressure (24%). 
3. More than 26 million Americans over age 20 have chronic kidney disease. This number represents approximately 13% of the adult population.
4. Chronic kidney disease has a disproportionate impact on minority populations, especially African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans.
5. More than 526,000 Americans are currently receiving treatment for kidney failure. This includes more than 367,000 dialysis patients (like me) and 158,000 people with functioning transplants.  
6. About 83,000 patients are awaiting kidney transplants. 
7. Last year there were 16,828 transplants: 10,441 from deceased donors, and 6,387 from living donors.  That's not very many, although it seems like at least 75% of all television characters had a kidney transplant last year.
8. Each year, more than 87,000 Americans die from causes related to kidney failure.  The wait for a transplant can be up to 8 years in some parts of the country. 
9. The third and fourth leading causes of kidney failure in the U.S. are glomerulonephritis, an inflammatory disease of the kidneys, and polycystic kidney disease. These disorders account for 16 percent and 5 percent, respectively, of the new cases of kidney failure in the U.S.
10. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of people with chronic kidney disease.  People with early stages of CKD are 5 times more likely to die from heart disease than kidney failure.

** Data provided by UNOS and NKF.  http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/

In all seriousness, it is not hard to stay on top of this.  Check your blood pressure, mind your weight to avoid type 2 diabetes, and get tested once a year.  Kidney disease can be manageable.  I was diagnosed with kidney disease at age 19.  The doctors predicted that my kidneys would fail in two years.  However, with high blood pressure meds and some diligence, I was able to make my damaged kidneys last 22 years!

Sigh.  The following PSA is one of the worst awareness videos I've ever seen.  It's so awful, it's fun to watch.  Enjoy.

If you're not an organ donor, please consider becoming one.  ALL major religions and humanist organizations support organ donation and the gift of life.  Please visit http://www.donatelife.net/ for more information.