There are 2 kidneys, each about the size of a fist, located on either side of the spine at approximately waist height. They perform following functions:

1. Remove waste products from the body and maintain constant volume and composition of body fluid.
2. Release hormones that regulates blood pressure
3. They produce a hormone called erythropoietin which plays an important role in the formation of red blood cells (RBC)
4. Make our bones strong and healthy by activating vitamin D

There are 2 ways in which kidneys get damaged

1. Acute kidney Injury (AKI) in which kidney function suddenly decreases within a few days or even hours. The kidney function returns to normal in most cases once the causative factor (e.g. infection, dehydration) is removed. A patient may need temporary dialysis support until kidneys recover.
2. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in which there is irreversible kidney injury. CKD invariably progresses slowly to end stage kidney disease (ESKD) over months or years because the cause cannot be eradicated.

There are only 2 treatment options:

1. Dialysis (hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis)
2. Kidney transplant.

Kidney transplant is a far better option and must be the first choice if possible. Because, the treatment of ESKD is very expensive and available only in urban areas, barely 10% of patients developing ESKD in our country are fortunate to get treatment. Therefore, for a country like ours, efforts should be to prevent kidney disease.

Besides the fact that it allows a person to lead healthy life, it gives an opportunity to donate kidneys and other organs & tissues after death and thereby saving many lives and enhancing quality of life of many people.