Among the many world theme days, there are always something related to life and death, and there are always something alarming. This year, March 10 is the 11th World Kidney Day, the theme of which is: Prevention of kidney disease, starting from children. World Kidney Day, jointly proposed by the International Society of Nephrology and the International Kidney Foundation, was established in 2006 as the second Thursday in March to draw attention to kidney disease. This year’s theme aims to spread the idea that “many adult kidney diseases actually start in childhood”, to remind people to think about kidney health early and to realize that many adult kidney diseases originate in childhood. Kidney disease in children is not uncommon, and it is estimated that there are more than 2 million children with kidney disease, out of a total of more than 300 million children nationwide. Kidney disease in children can be caused by the following factors: birth defects, genetic disorders, infections, systemic diseases, trauma, urinary tract obstruction or reflux, etc. Kidney disease can cause acute kidney injury or present a chronic course, and chronic kidney disease can lead to kidney failure, eventually requiring kidney transplantation or dialysis treatment. From birth to 4 years of age, birth defects and hereditary diseases are the main causes of kidney failure. From the age of 5 to 14 years, the main causes of renal failure are hereditary and systemic diseases. Birth defects are commonly seen in renal agenesis, renal dysplasia and ectopic kidney. Inherited kidney diseases are passed on to children through parental genes, the most common of which is polycystic kidney disease, often with a family history. Hemolytic uremic syndrome and glomerulonephritis following acute streptococcal infection are possible renal diseases in children following infection. Systemic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and diabetes mellitus also often cause kidney damage. Severe burns, dehydration, massive blood loss, or surgical trauma often lead to acute kidney injury, and urinary tract obstruction or reflux can also cause kidney damage. Early diagnosis of kidney disease in children is very important, parents of children should pay attention to the clues of common kidney disease, early symptoms such as swelling of the face, eyelids and lower limbs, foamy urine surface, abnormal urine color, sudden decrease in urine volume, frequent and urgent urination, increased nocturia, but also fatigue, loss of appetite, pale face, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms. In such cases, we can check blood pressure, urine routine, kidney function and kidney ultrasound to identify common kidney diseases, and rare kidney diseases can be detected early by professional examination. How to prevent and treat kidney disease in childhood at an early stage? First of all, it is important to have a good birth, especially for patients with family history of kidney disease to avoid blind pregnancy. Secondly, the immune system is not well developed during childhood, often prone to respiratory infections, when there is tonsillitis, it should be promptly diagnosed and treated, otherwise it will cause streptococcal infectious glomerulonephritis. In addition, avoid drug abuse, especially nephrotoxic drugs, inappropriate application of aminoglycoside antibiotics or certain herbs containing aristolochic acid can lead to kidney damage. In addition, a light and balanced diet, drinking more water, not holding urine and physical exercise to enhance physical fitness can also help prevent chronic kidney disease. Parents of children with kidney disease, especially chronic kidney disease, should pay attention to avoid paralysis, blind medical care and careless treatment, and should regularly visit and consult with nephrologists in regular hospitals to slow down the progress of kidney failure and protect kidney function. Let’s take action together: from now on, prevention of kidney disease starts from children.