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National Kidney Foundation Launches Educational Program About Kidney Disease in Patients with HIV
Program to Arm Clinicians and HIV Treatment Educators with New Tools to Address Important Complication of HIV
August 19, 2008 – The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) today launched an educational program to raise awareness of the growing problem of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among clinicians and HIV treatment educators. Patients with HIV are at an increased risk of CKD, which may be associated with progression to AIDS and linked to increased mortality.(1) With estimates ranging from seven to thirty percent of patients with HIV potentially having CKD(1,2), the goal of the program is to educate clinicians and HIV treatment educators on the risk factors for CKD and best practices to screen for and monitor kidney function. The program is made possible with support from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
CKD is a serious complication of HIV infection and can lead to kidney failure and premature death from cardiovascular disease, especially among those patients at greatest risk, including African Americans, Hispanics and those with a family history of the disease. While CKD can be prevented or delayed by early diagnosis and treatment, it remains under-diagnosed and under-treated in HIV patients. For these reasons, the National Kidney Foundation has created a new toolkit for clinicians and is developing a companion version for HIV treatment educators to help both groups identify and discuss CKD with patients.
“The relationship between HIV and CKD is very important for clinicians to address early in patients with HIV and there is a need for resources to help clinicians connect HIV with an increased risk for CKD,” said Leslie Spry, MD, FACP, FASN, Chairman of the Kidney Learning System Editorial Board, National Kidney Foundation. ”HIV treatment educators also play a pivotal role in the care of patients with HIV, which is why we developed resources specifically tailored to their needs and the needs of the patients they work with.”
HIV and CKD Educational Program Explained
The HIV and CKD educational
program consists of new educational toolkits tailored for the use of HIV
clinicians and treatment educators. The toolkit for clinicians includes a
patient brochure to help explain the complexities of HIV and CKD, a guide
explaining the benefit and use of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) to screen
for CKD in HIV patients, a GFR prediction calculator, and a laminated pocket reference
tool to help clinicians quickly identify, monitor and manage CKD in HIV
patients.
The toolkit for HIV treatment educators, who are critical to providing education to HIV patients through grassroots AIDS Service Organizations and clinics, includes a patient brochure and a guide to understanding GFR.
For more information or to order the HIV-CKD clinician or treatment educator toolkit, please contact the National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Learning System at 800-622-9010.
HIV and Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is
defined as either the presence of kidney damage or GFR less than
60 mL/min/1.73 m2 for three or more months. At the time of initial
HIV diagnosis, it is recommended that patients be screened for existing kidney
disease using the serum creatinine level to estimate the glomerular filtration
rate (GFR) and evaluate for proteinuria (protein in the urine) to assess for
kidney damage.(1) If there is no evidence of CKD in newly
diagnosed patients with HIV, those at high risk of developing kidney disease
(e.g., patients with diabetes, hypertension, those who are African-American or
those with hepatitis C) should be screened annually.(1)
About The National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation is dedicated to preventing kidney and urinary tract diseases, improving the
health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases
and increasing the availability of all organs for transplantation. For more
information on kidney disease, visit www.kidney.org.
For information about the chronic kidney disease and HIV educational program,
contact the National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Learning System at 800-622-9010
About GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world's
leading research-based pharmaceutical and health care companies.
GlaxoSmithKline is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling
people to do more, feel better and live longer. For more information on
GlaxoSmithKline, visit http://www.gsk.com
(1) Gupta SK, Eustace JA, Winston JA, et al. Guidelines for the Management of Chronic Kidney Disease in HIV-infected Patients: Recommendations of the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2005; 40:1559-85.(2) Röling J, Schmid H, Fischereder M, Draenert R, Goebel FD. HIV-Associated Renal Diseases and Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy—Induced Nephropathy. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2006;42:1488-95.
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