NKF – Page 3 – Allocare

August 18, 2021August 18, 2021

The Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Plant-Based Diet (When You Have Kidney Disease)

Why start a plant-based diet?

“A plant-based diet includes eating more plant foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), and healthy plant oils (such as olive or canola) and less animal foods like dairy, eggs, fish, and meat. Growing evidence shows that plant-based diets may help prevent health problems like heart disease and further kidney damage in people with kidney disease. Some studies say that people living with kidney disease who followed a plant-based diet lived longer than those whose diets were more animal-based. However, starting a plant-based diet does not mean that you need to become a vegetarian and cut all sources of animal protein from your diet. One study has shown that swapping out animal protein with plant protein at two out of three meals per day may be enough to provide health benefits of a plant-based diet in patients with chronic kidney disease.”

National Kidney Foundation Partners with Alport Syndrome Foundation to expand First-Ever National Registry for Patients at All Stages of Kidney Disease

“A new partnership between the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the Alport Syndrome Foundation (ASF) is designed to give hope to the thousands of patients, including children and their families, who suffer from debilitating Alport syndrome, a rare genetic kidney disorder.

NKF and ASF will collaborate on the NKF Patient Network – Alport Syndrome, a new sub-registry devoted to Alport syndrome patients within the NKF Patient Network, a registry for people with all stages of kidney disease. The NKF Patient Network is the only kidney disease registry that has both patient-entered data combined with electronic health records (EHR). Patients with all stages of kidney disease can register and add their important health information. The unique digital platform is designed to improve the lives of people with kidney disease by better informing research, clinical care, drug development, and health policy decisions, as well as give kidney patients the tools they need to stay educated and healthy.”

Learn more, here.

August 9, 2021August 16, 2022

National Kidney Foundation and Labcorp Data Show Millions Aren’t Tested for Kidney Disease

“New data suggest that millions of patients most at-risk for life-threatening kidney disease are unaware they have it because they are not tested according to clinical practice guidelines despite their risk. The study, by authors from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and Labcorp, appears today in the journal Diabetes Care.

In the study, “Chronic Kidney Disease Testing (CKD) Among At-Risk Adults in the U.S. Remains Low: Real-World Evidence from a National Laboratory Database,” investigators reviewed laboratory ordered CKD tests from more than 28 million patients with diabetes, hypertension (also known as high blood pressure), or both, that were tested by Labcorp between 2013 and 2018.”

Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine, What Kidney Patients Need to Know

“

Most doctors agree that the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine for people with kidney disease at any stage, including those on dialysis and those with a kidney transplant, are much greater than the risk of serious complications from the virus than from the vaccine.

Dialysis patients who contract COVID-19 are at extremely high risk of short-term mortality, possibly higher than 20 percent.

The National Kidney Foundation, American Society of Nephrology, and American Society of Transplantation all recommend that people with kidney disease or kidney transplant be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Vaccines are one of the most effective tools to protect your health and prevent disease. Vaccines work with your body’s natural defenses so your body will be ready to fight a virus if you are exposed (also called immunity).”

NKF Publishes Recommendations to Move Thousands of Patients from Dialysis to Transplant

“The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) releases today a position paper developed by 16 experts in nephrology and transplantation from 13 institutions that plots a path for research and innovation to address the most pressing barriers to kidney transplant access, organ availability, and long-term allograft survival in the United States.

This ambitious agenda seeks to direct research investment to optimize equity, efficiency, and patient-centered outcomes and maximize the benefits of transplantation in our country. Today, while nearly 100,000 people are on the waitlist for a kidney transplant, only 22,817 Americans received a kidney transplant in 2020.

“While kidney transplantation provides the best treatment option for kidney failure to thousands of patients each year, the goal of universal access to this treatment remains elusive,” said lead author Krista L. Lentine, MD, PhD, Saint Louis University Center for Abdominal Transplantation. “Addressing the priorities outlined in this research agenda has the potential to transform kidney patient care by expanding opportunities for safe living donation, improving waitlist access and transplant readiness, maximizing use of available deceased donor organs, and extending graft longevity.”

To assess the knowledge gaps amenable to more research, NKF convened an expert panel to develop a research agenda aimed at advancing access to kidney transplantation for all patients who could benefit, with attention to reducing/eliminating racial and ethnic disparities and supporting the goal of “one transplant for life” for organ recipients.”

Read full article, here.

June 12, 2021August 16, 2022

DaVita and the NKF Join Forces to Improve Health Equity in Kidney Transplantation

ilot program to provide education and support for kidney patients seeking living donors

DaVita Kidney Care and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) today announced their collaboration in launching an innovative, yearlong pilot aimed at improving health equity in kidney transplantation with a newly-developed program within NKF’s THE BIG ASK: THE BIG GIVE platform.

“Many people never find a living donor simply because they are afraid to ask,” said Kevin Longino, CEO, National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant patient. “NKF’s THE BIG ASK: THE BIG GIVE platform helps patients and families learn how to find a living donor and we are grateful to DaVita for their support in helping to reach patients in underserved areas.”

The pilot will take place in Colorado, New York, Minnesota and New Mexico. DaVita and NKF carefully selected these states because each has a unique opportunity to improve health equity in kidney transplantation. In addition, both organizations have a strong, on-the-ground presence in these states, with operational teams that are well connected to the transplant and health care ecosystem.

NKF Health Policy Director Becomes Living Donor During Donate Life Month

While COVID-19 continues to dominant the United States healthcare system, nearly 100,000 Americans are still on a waitlist for a kidney transplant and each day 12 patients die waiting for a kidney. National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Health Policy Director Miriam Godwin knows these statistics all too well and made the altruistic decision to take action and help others by becoming a living donor during National Donate Life Month in April. Like all incredibly selfless living donors, Godwin made a conscious choice to help others, but please don’t call her a hero.

“It’s difficult to live with the knowledge that some of the most vulnerable people in our society such as the elderly, communities of color, and those with limited financial means are waiting for kidney transplants, especially when kidney patients have been at such exceptionally high risk from COVID-19,” said Miriam Godwin, NKF Health Policy Director and a kidney transplant living donor. “It’s my job to make kidney transplants more accessible, but the tools to create system-level change are limited and take time. No one should be denied the opportunity for kidney health because of the circumstances of their birth. I became a living donor because I knew I could help one person right now, so I did. It was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made.”

Read the full story, here.

May 11, 2021August 16, 2022

National Kidney Foundation Recognizes National Mental Health Awareness Month

“May is National Mental Health Awareness Month and The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) recognizes this important month by calling attention to NKF Peers, a free mentoring program that matches people in late stage kidney disease, those on dialysis or living with a transplant, as well as living donors with mentors who provide one-on-one support to guide them through their kidney health journey. As COVID-19 cases in the U.S. continue to rise, NKF Peers is more important than ever because people with kidney disease and transplant recipients face a heightened risk for developing serious complications from COVID-19. In addition, people hospitalized with COVID-19 are developing kidney failure and becoming kidney patients. In these incredibly stressful times, the NKF Peers program is available to kidney patients seeking support, information, and understanding from someone who has been in a similar situation.”

Learn more about the NKF Peers program, here.

May 1, 2021August 16, 2022

Potassium and Your CKD Diet

Today is NATIONAL HIGH POTASSIUM AWARENESS DAY!

“What is potassium and why is it important to you?

Potassium is a mineral found in many of the foods you eat. It plays a role in keeping your heartbeat regular and your muscles working right. It is the job of healthy kidneys to keep the right amount of potassium in your body. However, when your kidneys are not healthy, you often need to limit certain foods that can increase the potassium in your blood to a dangerous level. You may feel some weakness, numbness and tingling if your potassium is at a high level. If your potassium becomes too high, it can cause an irregular heartbeat or a heart attack.”

Read more, here.

April 28, 2021August 16, 2022

New Drug, Positive Results. How Will it Benefit People with Diabetic Kidney Disease?

“There is promising news for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes—a serious medical condition that is also known as diabetic kidney disease.

Clinical trials have shown finerenone, a pill taken once per day, may prevent diabetic kidney disease from getting worse. Worsening diabetic kidney disease can cause heart problems and kidney failure.

Diabetes and kidney disease

Diabetes damages small blood vessels throughout the body, affecting the kidneys as well as other organs and tissues including skin, nerves, muscles, intestines, and the heart. More than 1 out of 4 adults with diabetes will eventually develop kidney disease, and in the US alone, millions of people already have diabetic kidney disease.

People with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease are three times more likely to die of heart-related causes than those with type 2 diabetes alone. Diabetes is also the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of new cases.”

Read the full post, here.