NKF Partners with the Lupus Research Alliance to Offer Course to Healthcare Professionals

 
Continuing education activity sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical
 
New York, NY– November 11, 2019 - The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) are collaborating on an important online, free course for healthcare professionals about ways to improve outcomes for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
 
The faculty will present the pathogenesis of SLE, evidence-based strategies for diagnosing, monitoring and treating SLE and lupus nephritis, as well as the potential role for emerging therapies. The continuing medical education (CME) is sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical plc. The company gave the educational grant to set up the program and offer it to physicians, rheumatologist, dermatologists, nephrologists, OB-GYNs, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses. Participants will earn 1.0 CME credits.
 
SLE is an autoimmune disease associated with chronic inflammation that can affect almost every organ, including the kidneys. Kidney involvement is clinically apparent in about 50 percent of people with SLE and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The most common manifestation of lupus in the kidney is lupus nephritis.
           
This is the first time that NKF and LRA are collaborating and is significant because of the unique educational opportunity it provides for healthcare professionals.
 
“This superb, comprehensive educational program on improving outcomes in lupus nephritis covers the latest clinical science on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, kidney biopsy classification, and state of the art induction as well as maintenance therapies informed by monitoring,” said Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, NKF’s Chief Medical Officer. “The culmination of the CME activity is an interactive case discussion that will hone the skills of nephrologists, rheumatologists and other interested clinicians.” 
 
“We are excited to partner with the NKF, marrying their expertise in kidney disease with our in-depth knowledge of lupus nephritis,” said LRA President and CEO Kenneth M. Farber. “The program is sorely needed as lupus is too often misdiagnosed and meanwhile, lupus nephritis can develop as an emergency medical situation.”
 
The course will be taught by Mary K. Crow, MD, Physician-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Hospital for Special Surgery, Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at Wells Cornell Medical College; Ellen Ginzler, MD, Distinguished Teaching Professor of Medicine and Chief of Rheumatology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center; and Brad H. Rovin, MD, The Lee A. Hebert Professor of Nephrology, Director of the Division of Nephrology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Dr. Crow also shares her vast experience in lupus as Co-Chair of the Lupus Research Alliance Scientific Advisory Board.
 
SLE is the form of lupus that can harm your skin, joints, kidneys and brain and may be fatal. The other form of lupus is called "discoid" lupus erythematosus, which affects only your skin. SLE that affects the kidneys is called lupus nephritis. Lupus is an "autoimmune" disease that turns the immune system against the body. This causes harm to organs and tissues, like kidneys. Lupus nephritis causes inflammation (swelling or scarring) of the small blood vessels that filter wastes in the kidney (glomeruli) and sometimes the kidneys, by attacking them like they would attack a disease.
 
The new course titled Improving Outcomes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Lupus Nephritis is available online at https://education.kidney.org/content/improving-outcomes-systemic-lupus-erythematosus-and-lupus-nephritis. Future offerings on this subject will include three, 15-minute recorded CME/CE activities. which will be available through AudioEducate through Amazon.com. A patient education activity will also be available at www.kidney.org in the future.
 
About the Lupus Research Alliance
The Lupus Research Alliance aims to transform treatment while advancing toward a cure by funding the most innovative lupus research in the world. The organization’s stringent peer review grant process fosters diverse scientific talent who are driving discovery toward better diagnostics, improved treatments and ultimately a cure for lupus.  Because the Lupus Research Alliance’s Board of Directors fund all administrative and fundraising costs, 100% of all donations goes to support lupus research programs.
 
Kidney Disease Facts
In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease (CKD) – and most aren’t aware of it. 1 in 3 American adults is at risk for CKD. Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a family history of kidney failure, and being age 60 or older. People of African-American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African-Americans are about 3 times more likely than Whites to develop end-stage kidney disease (ESKD or kidney failure). Compared to non-Hispanics, Hispanics are almost 1.3 times more likely to receive a diagnosis of kidney failure.
 
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.