Strong Kidneys Award 2022

For the ‘Strong Kidney’ activities organized in 2022, the National Societies of Nephrology could send in their reports. These were then critically reviewed and, although we enjoyed reading all of them, the reports from Lithuania and Latvia stood out. So, this year, we are pleased to award Lithuania and Latvia for their contributions. Congratulations to the winners!

On October 6, 2022, during the Baltic Nephrology Conference in Riga, Professor Wanner, the current ERA President, personally honoured the two Societies. He awarded the Lithuanian Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation Association in the category “quantity” for the biggest national campaign organized and the Latvian Association of Nephrology in the category “creativity” for the extraordinary event they organized.

The summaries of the ‘Strong Kidneys’ activities in Lithuania and Latvia are available.

We thank all Societies for their commitment to kidney health and for all the activities they organized this year!

Promoting kidney health in Albania

We would like to highlight the great activities organized in Albania to raise awareness about kidney health.

Professor Wanner, the current President of the ERA, was invited by the Society of Nephrology of Albania to participate in their National Conference held on 5 October 2022. When Professor Wanner visited Tirana, he was closely involved in the awareness activities and even attended a show on national television together with Professor Barbullushi, the President of the Albanian Society of Nephrology. During the interview, they talked about kidney disease and kidney health. They focused on the importance of the ‘Strong Kidneys’ campaign, the role of physical activity and of a healthy diet for protecting kidney function and slowing the progression of kidney disease. Professor Wanner highlighted the fact that each person needs to know its ABCDE profile (Albuminuria, Blood pressure, Cholesterol, Diabetes, eGFR). In addition, the use of new drugs, as proven in large studies, is important for heart and kidney protection. Professor Wanner advised regular health checks to assure good kidney health. Professor Barbullushi fully agreed and stressed that, if stakeholders collaborate well, they can do good things for the benefit of the patient’s health. For several years, people between 30 and75 years of age can regularly do a basic check-up in Albania, also for their kidney function.

You can watch the Albanian interview here.

During the entire day, the ‘Strong Kidneys’ message, translated into Albanian, was presented on LED billboards in Tirana.

With Professor Idrizi, the Vice-President of the Albanian Society of Nephrology, they also discussed kidney health education during a meeting with the Albanian Minister of Education. The Albanian Society is developing plans to start an educational program for students at schools together with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health in the framework of the ‘Strong Kidneys’ Campaign.

The Albanian Society of Nephrology is also actively participating in the annual Triathlon Labeat using this event to raise awareness about kidney health together with nephrologists and students from the University of Medicine.