Kidney Care Partners and National Minority Quality Forum Call for Prevention Programs in Disease '...( - National Kidney Month Briefing Reve...),Health

- National Kidney Month Briefing Reveals Majority of New Kidney Failure Cases Consistently Found in Small Number of Communities at Disproportionate Rates -

WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kidney Care Partners (KCP) -- an alliance of patient advocates, dialysis professionals, care providers and manufacturers working together to improve the quality of care for individuals with kidney disease and kidney failure -- in partnership with the National Minority Quality Forum, unveiled data today, on the eve of World Kidney Day, identifying disease "hot spots" and called for prevention and education resources dedicated to these high risk areas.

At a briefing on Capitol Hill, Kidney Care Partners, in conjunction with the National Minority Quality Forum, made available a Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Atlas, which provides data showing that each year the same communities dominate the nation in new cases of kidney failure.

Approximately 26 million Americans live with kidney disease. The rising rates of widespread kidney disease risk factors -- such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure -- are driving those numbers higher. CKD, when left untreated will progress to ESRD, commonly known as kidney failure. More than 400,000 Americans have been diagnosed with ESRD, an irreversible condition which is fatal without a kidney transplant or lifesaving dialysis treatments.

The most at-risk groups for developing kidney failure include African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans. While African Americans make up just 12 percent of the general population, they account for 30 percent of people with kidney failure.

"Our Chronic Kidney Disease Atlas can pinpoint where new cases of kidney failure are the highest every year," said Dr. Gary Puckrein, CEO and Founder of the National Minority Quality Forum, a research and
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