What is KKC About?




Healthy Kidneys by iStockPhoto 

Many Americans suffer from kidney disease. “Roughly, 468,000 individuals are on dialysis, and only 193,000 live with a functioning kidney transplant.”1 The disease does not discriminate against age, sex, ethnicity or race but may be more prevalent in certain groups. According to research studies and the United States Renal Data System, African Americans are highly susceptible to certain stages of kidney disease more than other cultures.2 There has been improvement over the years but how can we further inform African Americans?

            Developing Kidney Knowledge for Care (KKC) was vital for African Americans to learn the various stages of kidney disease. Knowledge of the stages, signs and symptoms and discerning the causes is the first step to being an advocate for oneself or a loved one. In discussing this topic, KKC will bring light to that information by referencing outside resources as the National Kidney Foundation, U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and The National Institute of Health to provide resources that people may not know about or have access to. The organizations named address many diseases as a whole but the National Kidney Foundation has a similar vision as ours, which is to produce viable resources to bring awareness to kidney disease. As we continuously write weekly informative blogs about addressing kidney disease, attend National Kidney Foundation events and provide research information that is beneficial to their studies, KKC will land an opportunity to collaborate with them.

          Throughout the next couples of weeks as the topic of kidney disease unfolds, keep a look out as we address questions as; does kidney disease affect everyone? Is the disease manageable? What resources are available to help those in need? Why are African Americans susceptible to kidney disease, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in particular? KKC is currently forming a mission to inform African Americans about their physical health, kidney disease awareness, as well as other available prevention methods.

References

1.                  Kidney disease statistics for the United States. National Institute of Diabetes Digestive and Kidney Diseases website. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/kidney-disease. Published December 2016. Accessed October 30, 2018.

2.                  Incidence, prevalence, patient characteristics, & modality. United States Renal Data System website. https://www.usrds.org/2012/view/v2_01.aspx. Accessed October 28, 2018.

3.                  Kidney. I Stock Photo website. https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/kidney?sort=mostpopular&mediatype=illustration&phrase=kidney. Accessed October 28, 2018.