National Kidney Foundation Offers Free Screening, Education on World Kidney Day
New York, NY (November 18, 2009) -- In recognition of the worldwide significance of kidney disease as a public health problem, the 5th annual World Kidney Day will be observed on March 11, 2010, the National Kidney Foundation announced today. The foundation will lead U.S. activities for World Kidney Day designed to build kidney disease awareness, educate those at risk about the importance of early detection and the critical role the kidneys play in maintaining overall health.
To make early detection of chronic kidney disease (CKD) as easy as possible, the foundation is offering free screenings in locations around the U.S. on March 11 through the Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP). KEEP is offered to those at risk –anyone with diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history– to prevent kidney disease from becoming kidney failure.
“Most people with kidney disease are not diagnosed until late in the course of illness when there are few opportunities for prevention. We need to alert the public and health policy makers to this real threat to populations here in the U.S. and around the world and to the fact that early detection can make a difference,” says John Davis, CEO, National Kidney Foundation.
“Kidney disease is common and harmful but treatable. Recent studies estimate that more than 26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease and that CKD multiplies the risk for heart disease and stroke. Our World Kidney Day public education initiatives will highlight kidney disease as treatable because there is now strong scientific evidence that early detection, altering lifestyle factors and aggressively controlling blood pressure, not only slow down the progression of CKD to kidney failure but can also significantly reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease that leads to premature death in the majority of these patients,” continues Davis.
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 about risk factors, World Kidney Day activities and KEEP events visit www.kidney.org
The National Kidney Foundation would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of World Kidney Day activities in the United States.
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