9th March – World Kidney Day at the University of Gdansk

This year, for the first time, the University of Gdansk is joining international efforts to raise awareness of the kidneys, their important functions, diseases of this organ and, in particular, the great importance of carrying out preventive examinations.

Kidney diseases are devious. We must remember that kidneys do not hurt. Without experiencing any symptoms, a person can lose up to 90% of their kidney function. For this reason, it is crucial to carry out preventive tests – without them, it will not be possible to detect problems at an early stage, before forms of renal replacement therapy such as dialysis or transplantation are needed. For this reason, we want to say loudly today: get tested!

In order to take care of our kidneys and check that they are okay, it is enough to do a general urine test and measure the creatinine level in the blood.

To mark World Kidney Day, we decided to organise a series of activities to educate and draw attention to kidney health issues. We were the only university in Poland to register our event on the official Word Kidney Day campaign website.

As part of World Kidney Day at UG, we undertook the following activities:

• We translated the original English-language information brochures into Polish.
• On 7 March, a flash mob took place on our campus, during which we jointly built ‘living kidneys’ visible from a bird’s eye view. Members of our academic community were able to be together and act for an important cause. The photo taken is used to promote educational material related to World Kidney Day at UG.
• We invited a nephrologist, Prof. Dr. Przemysław Rutkowski, to the MORS radio studio. The expert told us why preventive tests against kidney disease are important and how to take care of the kidneys.

Everyone can get involved in World Kidney Day – get tested, drink the water and share our educational materials, let the knowledge move out into the world.

And this is what the preparations for the flash mob looked like: