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U.S. Kidney Failure Rates Stabilize, Ending a 20-Year Climb
Troubling Racial Disparities Persist
After 20 years of annual increases from 5 percent to 10 percent, rates for new cases of kidney failure have stabilized, yet racial disparities persist, reports new research from NIDDK's U.S. Renal Data System (USRDS). Diabetes and high blood pressure remain the leading causes of kidney failure, accounting for 44 percent and 28 percent of all new cases, respectively. The most striking trends were found in diabetes, where rates for new cases in whites under age 40 were the lowest since the late 1980's, in stark contrast to rates for their African-American counterparts, which have not budged. The complete findings are posted at www.usrds.org, and also are being presented next month at the annual scientific meeting of the American Society of Nephrology. A press release on the report also can be found on the NKDEP website.
NKDEP Helps Families Make the Kidney Connection
NKDEP's Family Reunion Initiative got off to a great start this summer! The initiative encourages African Americans to talk about the connection between diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney disease at family reunions or other family gatherings. Primarily an online initiative, the Family Reunion homepage received more than 37,000 visitors, and more than 5,600 downloads of the Kidney Connection Toolkit components. In addition, through attendance at large summer events and with help from our partners, we distributed more than 10,000 postcards promoting the initiative, and more than 3,000 Kidney Connection Toolkits. A partnership with BET.com and other online promotion efforts steered more than 20,000 people to NKDEP's Family Reunion website.
We would like to thank our Family Reunion partners - International Society on Hypertension in Blacks, National Medical Association, National Urban League, and The COSHAR Foundation - for promoting the initiative. We also want to recognize and thank the other organizations that helped spread the word, including 100 Black Men of America, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American Dietetic Association, American Kidney Fund, Association of Clinicians for the Underserved, Chi Eta Phi, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, National Black Catholic Congress, National Women's Health Information Center, and the New York and Tennessee Offices of Minority Health.
NKDEP will continue to encourage families to use the Kidney Connection Toolkit at family gatherings year-round. Visit www.nkdep.nih.gov/familyreunion to download the Kidney Connection Toolkit and access partner materials.
NKDEP Laboratory Working Group Prepares to Launch Creatinine Standardization Program
The NKDEP Laboratory Working Group has been busy planning to launch a Creatinine Standardization Program that could significantly improve early detection of chronic kidney disease. NKDEP is encouraging laboratories and manufacturers of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) systems to standardize their measurement of serum creatinine and utilize the revised MDRD equation (out in November) to calculate estimated GFR. The Laboratory Working Group also is encouraging laboratories to automatically report estimated GFR, which saves primary care providers a step in interpreting creatinine values and helps reduce errors in calculation.
The NKDEP website was recently updated with a Laboratory Professionals page (www.nkdep.nih.gov/labprofessionals) that includes recommendations and other resources for those involved with creatinine standardization efforts. In addition, the Laboratory Working Group's article about the benefits of using estimated GFR and the issues involved with creatinine standardization will be published in the December 2005 issue of Clinical Chemistry.
If you are interested in receiving periodic electronic updates about the Creatinine Standardization Program, contact us at csp@info.niddk.nih.gov.
Materials Update: NKDEP Creates New Spanish-language Brochure
NKDEP is finalizing its first Spanish-language brochure, which addresses key kidney disease risk factors and encourages those at risk to get tested. The brochure initially was focus-group tested among Hispanic patients at risk in Miami, Chicago, and Los Angeles. NKDEP also worked with La Clinica del Pueblo in Washington, DC, and MAHEC in Los Angeles to conduct focus groups on a revised draft of the brochure. The brochure will be available in late Fall 2005.
Distribution of the brochure to the Hispanic community will be supplemented by new Spanish content on the NKDEP website and a Spanish-language option for the toll-free number (1-866-4-KIDNEY), both available later this Fall.
Meetings Update
The NKDEP Steering Committee met on June 24 in Crystal City, VA. The Laboratory Working Group met in conjunction with the American Association of Clinical Chemistry's Annual Meeting on July 28 in Orlando, FL. Meeting minutes are posted on the NKDEP website.
Upcoming meetings include the American Society of Nephrology's Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition (November 8-13) in Philadelphia.
Partner Spotlight: National Diabetes Education Program
The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), NKDEP's sister program at NIH, has developed two attention-getting print public service announcements (“Diabetes Superhero” and “Important Numbers”) designed to encourage people with diabetes to control the ABCs of Diabetes: A1C, Blood pressure, and Cholesterol. NDEP partners can add their logos and contact information to these print PSAs and distribute to local media and other community outlets. Visit the NDEP website to view or download the PSAs. To learn more about NDEP or to receive its monthly e-newsletter News & Notes, visit the NDEP homepage at http://ndep.nih.gov/.
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