Menu
  • Login
  • Search

Clinical Nephrology, Volume 106 (2026) - July (1 - 13)

Kidney health for all: Caring for people, protecting the planet
Raymond Vanholder1, 2, Dina Abdellatif3, Augusto Cesar Soares Dos Santos Jr.4, 5, Ricardo Correa-Rotter6, Natarajan Gopalakrishnan7, Bill Wang8, Stefanos Roumeliotis9, Alessandro Balducci10, Ágnes Haris11, Manjusha Yadla12, Li-Li Hsiao13
1 Nephrology Section, Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, 2 European Kidney Health Alliance, Brussels, Belgium, 3 Department of Nephrology, Cairo University Hospital, Cairo, Egypt, 4 Faculdade Ciencias Medicas de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 5 Hospital das Clinicas, Ebserh, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 6 Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico, 7 Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu, Chennai, India, 8 Hong Kong Kidney Foundation, Hong Kong, SAR, China, 9  2 nd Department of Nephrology, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, 1  0 Italian Kidney Foundation Italy, Rome, Italy, 1  1 Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Péterfy Hospital, Budapest, Hungary, 1  2 Department of Nephrology, Gandhi Medical College, Hyderabad, Telangana, India; and 1  3 Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

   

 

DOI 10.5414/CNWKDEdi26

Abstract

The current kidney care model – focused on late-stage disease and in-center hemodialysis – is unsustainable, because of costs, environmental burden, poor outcomes, and reduced quality of life. The 78th World Health Assembly’s recognition of kidney disease as a serious health threat presents a critical opportunity to reshape kidney care. Aligned with this, the 2026 World Kidney Day theme, “Kidney Health for All: Caring for People, Protecting the Planet”, calls for a systematic change. A sustainable model must prioritize early detection and prevention, reducing the need for kidney replacement therapy. Transplantation and home dialysis benefit people with kidney failure, environment and society. Dialysis itself must become more eco-friendly without compromising care quality, recognizing that planetary perturbations in turn affect kidney health. Conservative care should also be considered, particularly for elderly and frail patients, if the quality-of-life benefits outweigh the perspectives offered by dialysis. Achieving this shift requires coordinated action across all stakeholders; education and engagement of the public, policy makers and health professionals to raise awareness about the threat of kidney disease; and an urgent move toward patient-centered care.

Author Details

Authors

Departments

  • 1 Nephrology Section, Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent,
  • 2 European Kidney Health Alliance, Brussels, Belgium,
  • 3 Department of Nephrology, Cairo University Hospital, Cairo, Egypt,
  • 4 Faculdade Ciencias Medicas de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
  • 5 Hospital das Clinicas, Ebserh, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
  • 6 Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico,
  • 7 Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu, Chennai, India,
  • 8 Hong Kong Kidney Foundation, Hong Kong, SAR, China,
  • 9 
  • 2 nd Department of Nephrology, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece,
  • 1 
  • 0 Italian Kidney Foundation Italy, Rome, Italy,
  • 1 
  • 1 Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Péterfy Hospital, Budapest, Hungary,
  • 1 
  • 2 Department of Nephrology, Gandhi Medical College, Hyderabad, Telangana, India; and
  • 1 
  • 3 Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Address

Dr. Stefanos Roumeliotis, MD, PhD, FERA
Nephrologist, Fellow of the World Kidney Day Joint Steering Committee
2nd Department of Nephrology
AHEPA Hospital, Medical School
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
1 St. Kyriakidi street
54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Email: [email protected]

Citation

Raymond Vanholder, Dina Abdellatif, Augusto Cesar Soares Dos Santos Jr, Ricardo Correa-Rotter, Natarajan Gopalakrishnan, Bill Wang, Stefanos Roumeliotis, Alessandro Balducci, Ágnes Haris, Manjusha Yadla, Li-Li Hsiao.Kidney health for all: Caring for people, protecting the planet. Clin Nephrol. 2026; 106: 1-13. doi: 10.5414/CNWKDEdi26. Pubmed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42087767/; PMID: 42087767.

###article_not_exists_msg###

Shopping Overview

Shopping Overview
Type Qtty Discount VAT Price
Your basket is empty
View Cart