DENVER, March 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Kidney Care,
a division of DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of
kidney care services in the United
States, today celebrates the beginning of National Kidney
Month by asking people to take a short risk quiz to help determine
their risk of kidney disease, one of the top 10 leading causes of
death in the U.S.
One in 10 adults over 20 years of age in the U.S. has chronic
kidney disease (CKD), or around 31 million Americans. CKD is
typically symptomless until its later stages, which leaves many
people unaware they are in an early stage of the disease until it
is too late.
Chris Zitur, a 30-year-old from
Denver, knows first-hand what it's
like to be caught off guard by kidney disease. "I'd been feeling
tired and unwell for months, but I chalked it up to being too
busy," said Zitur. "Once I felt bad enough to see my doctor, my
kidneys had almost completely lost their ability to function."
Zitur "crashed" into dialysis, meaning there was a very short
period of time between being diagnosed and requiring dialysis or a
transplant to be able to survive.
When kidney disease is detected in early stages, the progression
may be slowed or prevented altogether with effective management of
diet, exercise, medications and other diseases.
Those with diabetes and high blood pressure are at the greatest
risk for developing kidney disease, as are people with
cardiovascular disease, obesity, high cholesterol, lupus and a
family history of the disease. Some minority populations are
disproportionately affected by the disease – particularly African
Americans, Hispanics and American Indians. According to statistics
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- One in three people with diabetes has kidney disease.
- One in five people with high blood pressure has kidney
disease.
- African Americans are about three and a half times more likely
to develop kidney failure than Caucasians.
- Hispanics are one and a half times more likely to develop
kidney failure than non-Hispanics.
The good news is there are many resources to help those impacted
by kidney disease. DaVita Kidney
Care provides a breadth of resources to help patients manage
their health, including:
- myDaVita – A collection of online tools and resources for
patients and caregivers that includes an online social community,
kidney-friendly recipes, and tools to help with diet and nutrition
management, finding a nephrologist or finding a dialysis
center.
- DaVita Diet Helper™ – This tool helps patients take control of
their health through diet management – a significant way to manage
or delay the progression of kidney disease. In addition to
1,000-plus kidney-friendly recipes, DaVita Diet Helper™ offers a
way to track important nutritional information.
- Kidney-Friendly Cookbooks – A collection of seasonal cookbooks
with kidney-friendly recipes that give patients with kidney disease
delicious, healthy meal options.
- Kidney Smart – No-cost educational classes designed to give
patients and caregivers the information they need to understand and
manage kidney disease. Classes are open to the community and take
place in cities across the U.S. Online classes are also available
for those who prefer learning from home.
To take the risk quiz, learn about risk factors and access other
kidney disease resources, please visit
DaVita.com/LearnYourRisk.
About DaVita Kidney
Care
DaVita Kidney
Care is a division of DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500® company
that, through its operating divisions, provides a variety of health
care services to patient populations throughout the United States and abroad. A leading
provider of dialysis services in the
United States, DaVita Kidney
Care treats patients with chronic kidney failure and end
stage renal disease. DaVita Kidney
Care strives to improve patients' quality of life by
innovating clinical care, and by offering integrated treatment
plans, personalized care teams and convenient health-management
services. As of December 31, 2016,
DaVita Kidney Care operated or
provided administrative services at 2,350 outpatient dialysis
centers located in the United
States serving approximately 188,000 patients. The company
also operated 154 outpatient dialysis centers located in 11
countries outside the United
States. DaVita Kidney Care
supports numerous programs dedicated to creating positive,
sustainable change in communities around the world. The company's
leadership development initiatives and social responsibility
efforts have been recognized by Fortune, Modern Healthcare,
Newsweek and WorldBlu. For more information, please visit
DaVita.com.
Contact Information
Media:
Ashley Henson
(303) 876-6626
ashley.henson@davita.com
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SOURCE DaVita Kidney Care