Recognize National Kidney Disease Awareness Month by becoming a leader in your healthcare and getting tested early for kidney disease. More than 26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease (CKD) and many don't even know it. That's why it's so important to know about kidney disease and its risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension.
 
Here are some facts about CKD, diabetes and hypertension:

• Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease in the United States.
• Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent in certain ethnic groups including Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, African Americans and Asians.
• One out of every three American adults has high blood pressure or hypertension.That's about 65 million people!
• Uncontrolled hypertension is the primary diagnosis for about 28 percent of the new cases of kidney failure each year.
• The prevalence of high blood pressure among African Americans in the U.S. is among the highest in the world.

Visit the AAKP Web site, www.aakp.org, to learn more about the risk factors that can lead to kidney disease.

This article originally appeared in the March 2008 issue of Kidney Beginnings: The Electronic Newsletter.