American Kidney Fund Cites Studies as Cause for Concern

American Kidney Fund
Monday, 4 March 2002

(Rockville, MD) The American Kidney Fund (AKF) pointed to two studies, released only days apart, as signs that the incidence of kidney disease in Americans will continue to rise. The first study, from the American Diabetes Association, in conjunction with the American College of Cardiology, found that a majority of people with diabetes are not aware of their increased risk for serious complications such as heart disease or stroke. The second study, based on data collected from the Framingham Heart Study, indicated that middle-aged Americans have a 90% lifetime risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure) serious enough to require treatment.

"Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure and hypertension is the second-leading cause of kidney failure, or End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)," said Dr. Paul W. Crawford, AKF's Chairman of Medical Affairs. "It is clear that chronic kidney disease is where diabetes and hypertension intersect, and that is why these studies are so disturbing. The risk factors for kidney disease are identical to those for heart disease and stroke - diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, smoking and obesity. Today, there are about 380,000 Americans being treated for kidney failure, and we are expecting that number to increase by 10% a year," noted Dr. Crawford.

Neither study placed an emphasis on chronic kidney disease as a serious complication of both diabetes and hypertension.

Dr. Crawford concluded, "Those who have diabetes, hypertension, or both need to know that the stakes are even higher than they may believe. Uncontrolled or poorly controlled diabetes and hypertension often lead to chronic kidney disease, in addition to heart disease and stroke."

For more information, or to contact American Kidney Fund, see their website at: www.akfinc.org