World Kidney Day: what you need to know

DELMARVA – March is National Kidney Month, and March 14th is World Kidney Day.

47 ABC’s Ryan Eldredge sat down with Nicole Scharf, Associate Director for the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Southern Delaware, to talk about World Kidney Day and why it’s so important.

Scharf says that it’s important to understand what your kidneys do and how to prevent kidney disease, because kidney disease leads to dialysis, which in turn could lead to transplant.

It’s also key to be aware of the risk factors for kidney disease.

“The two leading risk factors for kidney disease are high blood pressure and diabetes, which are on the rise,” Scharf said. “We really have to be careful to try and prevent and slow down the progression of kidney disease so that we don’t have people ending up on dialysis or needing a kidney transplant.”

According to Scharf, some of the preventative measures you can take include eating a good, healthy balanced diet and staying away from over the counter medications such as nsaids (ibuprofen and advil) unless it’s absolutely needed.

The National Kidney Foundation will team up with PRMC to host a free kidney screening for community members on Saturday, March 30th, from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at James M. Bennett High School in Salisbury. The screening is a quick blood test to see if you are at risk for kidney disease, and you’ll be able to get your results in just a few days.