Title: African Americans and Kidney Disease | National Kidney Foundation
Headings: African Americans and Kidney Disease
African Americans and Kidney Disease
What is kidney disease?
Change the Face of Kidney Disease
Can anyone get kidney disease?
Why are African Americans at greater risk for kidney disease?
How does access to healthcare play a role?
What to do?

Content: Heredity or genetics may also be involved. According to a recent study by the National Institute of Health, some African Americans are born with a "high risk" gene. African Americans with kidney disease who have the high risk gene are twice as likely to progress to kidney failure as African Americans without the high-risk gene or white Americans. How does access to healthcare play a role? According to a recent study, many African Americans do not even know they have kidney disease until it's in the latest stages. This means it is not found early enough, when treatment can still help slow or stop the damage from getting worse. As a result, the rate of kidney failure for African Americans is three to four times higher than white Americans. And the problem appears to be specific for kidney disease. According to the same study, most African Americans who have diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol levels know that they have it. What to do?