Kidney Disease: What Everyone Should Know (NAPSA)—According to a new report from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), an estimated 50 percent of people with at least one risk factor for kidney disease actually have the condition—yet only a tiny fraction knowit. “Among participants in our nationwide screening program for kidney disease, only three percent said they had the condition,” says NKF President Brian Pereira, MD. “However, tests revealed that, in fact, 50 percent showed signs of kidney disease or damage to the kidneys, and many otherparticipants were at risk—which says that people need a better understanding of who’s at risk and who needsto get tested.” The report contains the first published findings from the NKF Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP), designed to identify people at risk of kidney disease and those who are in the early stages of the disease, when treatment has a chance of slowing, stopping or reversing its progression. The findings are based on blood and urine tests of people who have at least one of the two leading causes of kidney disease—diabetes or high blood pressure—or a family history of kidney disease or either risk factor. More than three-quarters of participants were overweight or obese, a known risk factor for high blood pressure, diabetes, and for kidney disease itself. Many people with kidney problems also develop anemia, in which their blood contains too few oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Black participants were more Manyof the 20 million Americans with kidney disease don’t realize that they’re at risk. likely to be anemic than whites, and women had a far greater degree of anemia than men. “Recent research suggests that anemia can contribute to heart failure—a complication of advanced kidney disease—as well as accelerate losses in kidney function, indicating that doctors should make extra efforts to diagnose and treat anemia in people at risk of kidney problems,” says Mark A. Klausner, MD, vice president, internal medicine, clinical affairs, Ortho Biotech Products LP, primary sponsor of the KEEPprogram. According to NKF, more than 20 million Americans—one in nine adults—havechronic kidney disease. KEEP is a free kidney health screening program, presented in cities across the U.S. To find out about the kidney screening nearest you or to get the free brochure “Am I At Risk,” contact the National Kidney Foundation at 800-622-9010 or go to www.kidney.org.
