Motivational

March is National Kidney Month

March is National Kidney Month, and March 13, 2008 is World Kidney Day. DaVita® has teamed with The Kidney TRUST^TM, an organization that aims to benefit the 26 million American adults living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), as well as the 485,000 Americans with kidney failure who are on dialysis, and Dialysis Patient Citizens^TM, a nationwide, nonprofit, patient-led dialysis organization with more than 20,000 dialysis and pre-dialysis members, to offer screenings for chronic kidney disease in Columbus, OH and Dearborn, MI. The screening in Dearborn will take place Wednesday, March 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave. (between Helen St. and Palmer St.).

Chronic kidney disease develops when kidneys lose most of their ability to remove waste and maintain fluid and chemical balances in the body. The degree of chronic kidney disease depends on how well the kidneys filter wastes from the blood and can progress quickly or take many years to develop.

Fewer than half of those with kidney disease are aware they have it — often they suffer no apparent symptoms. More than 20 million Americans — 1 in 9 adults — have chronic kidney disease. Another 20 million more Americans are at risk for kidney disease but do not know it. In Ohio, there are more than 121,000 Medicare and Medicaid recipients who have been diagnosed with end stage renal disease, the most severe form of CKD (USRDS.org). In Michigan, there are more than 108,000 Medicare and Medicaid recipients who have been diagnosed with end stage renal disease (USRDS.org).

Risk factors for chronic kidney disease

High-risk populations include those with diabetes, high blood pressure and family history of kidney disease. Six percent of the United States population has diabetes, the number one cause of kidney disease. One out of four Americans has high blood pressure, the second leading cause of kidney disease.

More than 33 percent of kidney failure patients are African American, while the number of Hispanic patients receiving end stage renal disease treatment has increased by over 50 percent in the last decade. Other high-risk groups include Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and seniors 65 and older.

Who should be screened for chronic kidney disease?

Anyone 18 years old or older with diabetes, high blood pressure or family history of diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease should be screened for kidney disease. If you live in an area that is offering a free screening, plan to attend. If not, visit your doctor and ask that you be screened for chronic kidney disease.

What is involved in a kidney screening?

Because there are often no visible symptoms of kidney disease, laboratory tests are critical. During the screening being offered by The Kidney TRUST, Dialysis Patient Citizens and DaVita, a DaVita technician will draw blood that will be tested for creatinine, a protein. If kidney function is abnormal, creatinine levels will increase in the blood, due to decreased excretion of creatinine in the urine. The blood will also be tested for the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which indicates the rate at which waste is being filtered by the kidneys. 

The test results will generally be available within 10 minutes, and a counselor will explain the results to the screening participant. 

Treatment for chronic kidney disease

In many cases, kidney failure can be prevented or delayed through early detection and proper treatment of kidney disease, such as an eating plan with the right amounts of sodium, fluid and protein, exercise and avoiding dehydration. Treating diabetes and high blood pressure will slow additional damage to kidneys.

End stage renal disease patients have two treatment options:  

• Dialysis is a treatment that removes wastes and excess fluid from blood when the kidneys are not able to do it on their own. Dialysis is typically necessary upon development of end stage renal disease — usually by the time an individual loses about 85 to 90 percent of kidney function. More than 310,000 people in the United States depend on hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis treatments to stay alive.
• The only other treatment option for people with end stage renal disease is a kidney transplant.

DaVita executives celebrate National Kidney Month

Top DaVita executives — including Kent Thiry, CEO of DaVita — will give an “extreme makeover” to the St. Jude’s Ranch for Children in Boulder City, NV in honor of National Kidney Month, on Wednesday, March 12, 2008. DaVita executives will give the central administration building a new look, changing the white building into a colorful and inviting space for children. Additionally, they’ll do exterior painting and landscaping on the campus and install new sports equipment. Event highlights include a short ceremony after the work is completed

DaVita’s company mission is to help one another and our communities, which is why the company has chosen National Kidney Month for this initiative by many of its senior executives. DaVita has 11 dialysis centers in Las Vegas, serves over 900 residents and also provides dialysis services to about 2,500 visitors to Las Vegas annually.

St. Jude’s Ranch for Children rescues abused, abandoned and neglected children of all races and faiths from the vicious cycle of child abuse. It provides healing and nurturing in a safe home-like environment where children can learn life skills to start new lives with new chances, new choices and new hope.

DaVita teams with Make-A-Wish®

DaVita teammates, nephrologists, local physicians, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) representatives, family and friends are partnering with Make-A-Wish’s Greater Bay Area chapter, an organization providing a true wish for children who suffer from life-threatening illnesses to grant a wish for two pediatric dialysis patients. The goal is to raise $15,000 through a Bowl-A-Thon to be held at three separate locations throughout the Greater Bay area. 

The wish recipients are Laura and Donald — both age 16. Laura, a dialysis patient at UCSF Children’s Hospital, wished for a shopping spree, and Donald, a dialysis patient at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, wished for a PlayStation® 3 console. 

The Bowl-A-Thon event will be Sunday, March 16, 2008 at Kentwig Lanes, 148 Lincoln Rd. E, Vallejo, CA; Cloverleaf Family Bowl, 40645 Fremont Blvd., Suite 3, Fremont, CA and Sea Bowl, 4625 Coast Hwy, Pacifica CA.