"Know Your Kidneys!" Roche Supports Launch of World Kidney Day Quiz to Test Public's Kidney IQ
Basel (ots/PRNewswire)
- First Worldwide Test of Public's Knowledge About Kidneys On-line Quiz Launches Today
Our kidneys are amazing organs that play a crucial role in keeping us alive and well - but how much do we really know about them and do we know what can happen if disease sets in? This is the challenge posed by the first global online kidney IQ quiz just launched which will run for the next month until World Kidney Day on March 8th. Sponsored by Roche, the "World Kidney Day (WKD) Quiz" found at www.worldkidneyday.org encourages members of the public to find out just how much or how little they know about one of the most important organs in their bodies.
The WKD Quiz is supported by Roche, working in partnership with the second annual World Kidney Day which is a joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF). World Kidney Day is a worldwide initiative to make more people aware of chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD is a very common illness which, if detected early, can be treated so reducing other potentially life threatening health complications.
"Chronic kidney disease is common and its incidence is increasing dramatically. We believe it is critical for the public to learn more about the function and role of their kidneys and we hope this quiz will be a first step towards greater understanding of, and interest in, this important organ," said Prof. Philippe Van der Auwera, Global Head of Anaemia Management at Roche.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a goal of reducing deaths from chronic disease by 2% per year over the next decade from a total of 36 million preventable deaths. Promoting early detection and prevention of kidney disease is an important first step towards achieving this goal.
The WKD Quiz asks questions that will reveal the public's basic kidney knowledge as well as awareness of the health consequences if normal kidney function begins to fail. Results from the 10 short questions in the quiz will help the organizers to shape ongoing educational efforts enabling more people in the future to be able to answer 'Yes' to the provocative World Kidney Day question "Are your kidneys OK?"
Examples of the questions include:
Q. Your kidneys perform many critical functions. What are they?
a. Process/clean blood and filter out extra water and waste
b. Release hormones
c. Regulate water and chemicals in the blood like sodium and potassium
d. Remove some drugs and toxins from the blood
e. All of the above
Q. Chronic kidney disease increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes - true or false?
Answers to these, and all of the questions asked in the WKD Quiz, can be found at www.worldkidneyday.org. Click on the button "Are Your Kidneys OK?" The site also contains information on events going on in countries around the world.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the leading supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation, a market leader in virology and in anaemia associated with chronic kidney disease and cancer. More information can be found at www.roche.com.
About WKD organisers
The partnership between the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF) - the co-organizers of World Kidney Day - represents a strong alliance between kidney health professionals and patient groups to bring global attention to the prevention and treatment of kidney disease. The ISN is a not-for-profit society whose mission is the global advancement of nephrology. The IFKF, a not-for-profit Federation advocates worldwide to improve the health, well-being and quality of life of individuals with kidney disease; disseminates standards of best practice of treatment and care; assists with the establishment of kidney foundations in countries where they do not yet exist; facilitates educational programs for it members; and promotes kidney disease research.
Contact:
For further information: Sheila Gies, Roche, Tel: +973-235-4347,
Mobile: +973-687-0188. Rosemary Hennings, Galliard Healthcare, Tel:
+44-(0)207-663-2253, Mobile: +44-(0)7799-411325