Kidney Disease

Minority Women's Health > African Americans > Health Topics > Kidney Disease

Your kidneys clean your blood and keep waste out. With kidney disease, they don't work as well as they should—they could even shut down. People with kidney disease often do not have any symptoms. Most people don't know there is a problem until right before their kidneys fail. If your kidneys fail, you will have to have regular dialysis or a kidney transplant.

African Americans are nearly four times as likely as whites to have kidney failure. High blood pressure and diabetes are the leading causes of kidney failure in African Americans.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or a family member with kidney failure, ask your doctor to test your blood and urine for early signs of kidney disease. You can reduce your risk for kidney disease by controlling your blood pressure and blood sugar.

Publications

1.   African Americans and Kidney Disease Fact Sheet - This fact sheet highlights key facts about the impact of kidney disease on African Americans and statistics related to kidney disease in the United States.

   http://www.nkdep.nih.gov/news/campaign/african_americans.htm

2.   Diabetes & High Blood Pressure Make the Kidney Connection: What African Americans Need To Know - This fact sheet informs African Americans about how diabetes and high blood pressure can damage the kidneys and lead to kidney failure.

   http://www.nkdep.nih.gov/resources/African_American_brochure.htm

3.   Eat Right to Feel Right on Hemodialysis - This publication explains what foods should be avoided and what vitamins will benefit someone on hemodialysis. It explains hemodialysis-related phrases, such a dry weight, and offers a checklist to use when preparing to speak with a dietitian.

   http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/eatright/index.htm

4.   Financial Help for Treatment of Kidney Failure - This fact sheet briefly describes the Federal government's insurance program that covers much of the cost of dialysis treatments and transplantation expenses. It also lists additional sources of assistance and explains the role of the nephrology social worker.

   http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/financialhelp/index.htm

5.   Kidney Failure: Choosing a Treatment That's Right for You

6.   Make Health a Family Reunion Affair - The National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) has developed a family guide to discussing the connection between diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney disease at your family reunion. They also have developed notes to pass out to family members, tips for talking one-on-one with family members, and a discussion outline for the leader of a 15-minute Make the Kidney Connection health discussion.

   http://www.nkdep.nih.gov/familyreunion/guide.htm

7.   Treatment Methods for Kidney Failure: Hemodialysis - This booklet details the procedures and equipment involved in hemodialysis. It explains vascular access and dietary issues and briefly describes some of the complications of kidney failure and lists resources for additional information.

   http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/hemodialysis/index.htm

8.   Treatment Methods for Kidney Failure: Peritoneal Dialysis - This booklet describes the procedures and supplies required for peritoneal dialysis (PD). It explains the differences between ambulatory and automated PD and gives instructions on how to avoid problems that can develop.

   http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/peritoneal/index.htm

9.   Treatment Methods for Kidney Failure: Transplantation - This booklet gives a step-by-step account of the transplant process from the initial medical evaluation and being placed on a waiting list to surgery, recovery, and maintenance with anti-rejection medicines. It also covers issues of organ donation and matching.

   http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/transplant/index.htm

10. African-Americans and Kidney Disease (Copyright © AACHAC) - This fact sheet explains the relationship between high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney failure with regards to the high frequency of individuals with kidney disease in the African American community. Warning signs of kidney problems and information on lupus are also provided.

    http://www.aachac.org/healthfactsheets/kidney_disease.html

11. Ten Facts About African Americans And Kidney Disease (Copyright © National Kidney Foundation) - This fact sheet provides statistics about African Americans and kidney disease.

    http://www.kidney.org/news/newsroom/fsitem.cfm?id=2

Organizations

1.   National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, NIDDK, NIH, HHS
2. National Kidney Foundation

= Indicates Federal Resources

Current as of December 2007