Today, there are over 26 million American adults who are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), 485,000 of whom are suffering from kidney failure and are on dialysis. More than half of those with kidney disease are not aware they have it and often suffer no apparent symptoms. Millions more individuals are at risk of developing this deadly disease and are not aware of their risks.

March is National Kidney Month and the kidney community urges all individuals to learn more about the risk factors and preventative measures associated with kidney disease. CKD includes all conditions that damage your kidneys and decrease their ability to excrete waste, maintain fluid and chemical balances in the body and perform the many other important functions they carry out that keep you healthy. CKD can be caused by many factors including diabetes and high blood pressure. Early detection and treatment can often keep chronic kidney disease from progressing into to kidney failure, which requires a person to undergo dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive.

The kidney community urges anyone over 18 years old who suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure or has a family history of diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease to be screened for kidney disease. Six percent of the United States population has diabetes and one out of four Americans has high blood pressure, the two leading causes of kidney disease. The kidney community uses National Kidney Month to raise awareness of the disease, encouraging Americans to familiarize themselves with the risk factors for CKD and to visit their doctor for a simple screening if they have one or more of the following risk factors: diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, autoimmune disease, heart disease, urinary tract and/or systemic infections, family history of CKD, overuse of over-the-counter painkillers, or are over the age of 60 and suffer from kidney loss, damage, injury or infection.

For more information on risk factors and prevention tips, go to http://www.kidney.org/kidneydisease/kidneymonth/

Chronic Kidney Disease In America

Today, there are over 26 million American adults who are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), 485,000 of whom are suffering from kidney failure and are on dialysis. More than half of those with kidney disease are not aware they have it and often suffer no apparent symptoms.  Millions more individuals are at risk of developing this deadly disease and are not aware of their risks. 

The Kidney Care urges all individuals to learn more about the risk factors and preventative measures associated with kidney disease. CKD includes all conditions that damage your kidneys and decrease their ability to excrete waste, maintain fluid and chemical balances in the body and perform the many other important functions they carry out that keep you healthy.  CKD can be caused by many factors including diabetes and high blood pressure.  Early detection and treatment can often keep chronic kidney disease from progressing into to kidney failure, which requires a person to undergo dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive.

The kidney community urges anyone over 18 years old who suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure or has a family history of diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease to be screened for kidney disease.  Six percent of the United States population has diabetes and one out of four Americans has high blood pressure, the two leading causes of kidney disease.  The kidney community uses National Kidney Month to raise awareness of the disease, encouraging Americans to familiarize themselves with the risk factors for CKD and to visit their doctor for a simple screening if they have one or more of the following risk factors: diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, autoimmune disease, heart disease, urinary tract and/or systemic infections, family history of CKD, overuse of over-the-counter painkillers, or are over the age of 60 and suffer from kidney loss, damage, injury or infection.

About Kidney Disease

Each year in the United States, more than 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with kidney failure (or End Stage Renal Disease) – an irreversible condition which is fatal without a kidney transplant or lifesaving dialysis treatments. Currently, more than 400,000 Americans suffer from ESRD and that number is expected to double over the next decade.

The dramatic rise in kidney failure is attributable to the increase of diabetes and hypertension, two skyrocketing chronic diseases and the leading risk factors for ESRD. Furthermore, an additional 20 million Americans – or 1 in 9 adults – suffer from Chronic Kidney Disease, which untreated, can ultimately progress to kidney failure.

Because transplantation options are extremely limited, most patients who suffer from ESRD, depend on lifesaving dialysis treatments to survive. Ensuring quality dialysis care remains available is essential to the nation’s patient population, as is providing prevention and education resources so that patients can become empowered to avoid ESRD altogether.

About Patients

• The most at-risk groups for developing kidney failure include African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, seniors (those 65 and older), and anyone with a family history of CKD.
• African Americans make up 12 percent of the general population but account for 30 percent of people with kidney failure.
• Six percent of Americans have diabetes and 25 percent of Americans have high blood pressure – the two leading causes of kidney failure.
• More than 62,000 U.S. patients are currently waiting for a kidney transplant.

About Treating Kidney Failure and Medicare

The renal community is dedicated to providing education and prevention resources to at-risk patients to help slow the rise of kidney failure. For those who will progress to requiring dialysis treatments, providers are committed to ensuring the availability of quality care.
In 2008, with the strong support of the kidney care community, Congress enacted the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act” (MIPPA).  This law includes provisions critical to improving care for patients with kidney disease and kidney failure, including public and patient education initiatives to increase awareness about CKD and other important improvements to the Medicare ESRD program. 

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