Sedentary lifestyle is the main contributing factor to chronic diseases, Deputy Health Minister for Planning Dr. Mansour Al-Hawasi, said Saturday while inaugurating the national awareness campaign for kidney diseases in the Kingdom.

Al-Hawasi was speaking at a function held in Riyadh to mark World Kidney Day under the theme “Stop kidney attacks.”

The event was organized by Prince Salman Society for Kidney Diseases and Prince Fahd Bin Salman Charity Association for Renal Failure Patient Care (Kellana), in association with the Ministry of Health.

The deputy minister explained that chronic diseases include obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure and kidney failure and that reducing the risk of such diseases will ease expenditure in the healthcare sector, he noted.

Al-Hawasi also launched an exhibition which highlighted the risk factors associated with kidney diseases and ways to prevent them. The show was organized in cooperation with the Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, National Guard Health Affairs, Security Forces Hospital, Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation and other medical institutions.

Dr. Khalid Al-Saran, supervisor to the Prince Salman Society for Kidney Diseases, said that the event aims to promote kidney donation to help end-stage-of-renal-disease (ESRD) patients and to create public awareness about symptoms, risk factors, preventative and management methods.

Al-Saran said people should be conscious of kidney diseases as a risk factor of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Some 12,000 ESRD patients receive dialysis treatment in the Kingdom, Al-Sarhan said, adding that 37 percent of renal disease cases are due to diabetes, while 32 percent of cases are due to hypertension.

He explained that the campaign would include lectures and the distribution of pamphlets on the prevention of kidney diseases. People will also be advised to contact kidney disease detection centers if they show initial symptoms.

Speaking on behalf of Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, supervisor of Kellana, Dr. Abdullah Hassan bin Digheither, its chief executive officer, described kidney diseases as a global phenomenon.

Quoting statistics from the World Health Organization, he pointed out that some 500 million people are suffering from renal disease.

Around 75 countries will observe World Kidney Day this week to create public awareness about the effects of renal disease and how it can be prevented. An estimated $ 1 trillion will be spent on dialysis treatment in the world during the next 10 years.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Kellana conducted a nationwide survey to ascertain the volume of renal failure patients throughout the Kingdom. In addition, it also regularly conducts health, social, educational and rehabilitative programs related to kidney diseases.

The mission of World Kidney Day is to raise awareness about the importance of kidney function in overall health and how to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney diseases, in addition to encouraging systematic screening.

It is also aimed at educating medical professionals about their key role in detecting and reducing the risk of chronic kidney disease, particularly within a high-risk population. It also encourages transplantation as a best-outcome option for kidney failure and organ donation as a life-saving initiative.