Nationwide Kidney Basis Acknowledges Nationwide Kidney Month by Specializing in Diabetes

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In honor of National Kidney Month, which begins today, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) National Public Awareness Campaign: “Are You the 33%?” enters a new phase focusing on the link between Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) and kidney disease, also known as Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

NKF encourages everyone to find out if they are at 1: 3 risk for kidney disease by taking a one-minute quiz on MinuteForYourKidneys.org.

Diabetes is a leading risk factor for developing kidney disease. Over time, high blood sugar due to diabetes can lead to kidney damage. But it doesn’t have to end like this; Because with careful control of glucose (sugar) levels, there is evidence that you can prevent kidney disease in people with diabetes.

Award-winning actress Debbie Allen joined the campaign as a celebrity of the T2D campaign in February, Black History Month, to raise awareness of diabetes as the leading cause of chronic kidney disease development. Allen has a family history of diabetes and was recently diagnosed with pre-diabetes. On March 11, World Kidney Day, people with T2D will have the unique opportunity to take part in a virtual fireside chat to hear Debbie Allen’s personal story first hand. Allen will be NKF’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, and a patient advocate with T2D and chronic kidney disease will join. Participants have the opportunity to ask the speakers their own questions via a chat function. See registration details. Note that this event is not open to media.

“Millions of adults in the US have kidney disease and don’t even know it. And if you have type 2 diabetes, there is an increased risk of developing kidney disease, ”said Kevin Longino. Chairman the National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant patient. “If you have kidney disease, you are at greater risk of developing life-threatening complications COVID-19, so it’s really important that people take our one-minute quiz and find out about their kidney health. “

People of certain races and ethnic groups are more likely to develop kidney disease than others. Black or African American people make up 13 percent of the US population but 35 percent of those with kidney failure. Hispanics or Latinos are 1.3 times more likely to develop kidney failure than non-Hispanics / Latinos. One of the leading causes of kidney disease is diabetes, which is more common in these communities. Everyone needs to know about kidney disease, especially if you have any of these additional risk factors: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and familial kidney disease.

“With one in three adults in the US at risk of developing kidney disease, we urgently need to translate understanding of the risk into action to protect kidney health,” said Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, Chief Medical Officer at NKF. “We want to help millions of Americans with type 2 diabetes – those at highest risk of developing kidney disease – by encouraging them to speak to their doctors to see if tests and other treatments are right for them. “

The “Are you the 33%?” The campaign encourages T2D patients and anyone at risk to find out more through a simple, one-minute online quiz on MinuteForYourKidneys.org. The campaign microsite is available in English and Spanish at MinuteForYourKidneys.org. Patients should also ask their doctors about two simple tests used to diagnose kidney disease: a specific urine test called uACR and a calculated blood test called eGFR.
In addition, Healthy.io, the inventor of smartphone urinalysis, works with the NKF Offer the Albumin-Creatinine Ratio Test Kit (uACR) at home, free of charge, to people with type 2 diabetes who are at increased risk of developing kidney disease. Take the one-minute quiz on MinuteForYourKidneys.org.

Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #MinuteForYourKidneys.