Stark reality of kidney disease showcased in Leicester shopping centre

A new interactive pop-up experience was unveiled to Leicester shoppers as part of a new campaign to spread awareness of kidney disease. The two-day immersive event took place at Leicester’s Highcross Centre on Saturday March 4 and Sunday March 5, offering visitors the chance to understand the daily challenges of living with kidney disease.

The immersive event uses UV technology to give visitors an insight into living with kidney disease.

Based inside an everyday kitchen, guests were able to interact with ultraviolet LED technology to uncover aspects of life with kidney disease that are typically hidden.

Kidney disease is the 10th most common cause of death worldwide. Every day, 20 people are diagnosed with kidney failure and five people die every week waiting for a kidney transplant. However, awareness of kidney health is low. In a recent Kidney Research UK survey, 60% of those at risk of kidney disease didn’t think they were. The organisations believe that with greater awareness, more people can be diagnosed earlier, preventing patients from developing kidney failure.

Without a cure, patients whose kidneys have failed will often have to rely on gruelling treatments like dialysis or a kidney transplant that has a limited life-span. Like dialysis, a kidney transplant is a treatment and not a cure for kidney disease.

The charities chose to hold the event in Leicester as the city has the highest proportion of adults from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds outside of London. People from these communities are three to five times more likely to need dialysis than people from white Caucasian backgrounds. They also have a higher risk of developing CKD due to diabetes and high blood pressure.

Fiona Loud, Policy Director of Kidney Care UK (speaking on behalf of the Kidney Charities Together Group), said: “People’s knowledge of their kidneys and the vital role they play is worryingly low. Kidney disease is on the rise, yet with an estimated 1.2 million undiagnosed cases of kidney disease in the UK it is all too clear that kidney health is still not a priority. This interactive experience opens people’s eyes to the realities of the condition while offering insight into their risk of kidney disease and how they can look after their kidney health. We’re excited to get kidney disease on everyone’s radar in this novel way, because kidneys matter.”

World Kidney Day – Thursday 9 March 2023

World Kidney Day is an annual global awareness and education event, held on the second Thursday in March. The aim is to draw public attention to the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle to help look after your kidneys, the risks for developing kidney disease and the impact it has on patients.

The Kidney Charities Together (KCT) Group coordinates the World Kidney Day activity in the UK via the World Kidney Day and social media channels. The Group consists of Kidney Care UK, Kidney Research UK, Kidney Wales, the National Kidney Federation, the Polycystic Kidney Disease Charity, and the UK Kidney Association.