Release date: Wednesday – March 1, 2023
Archive Episode 115: Living Well with Kidney Disease
Description: In recognition of National Kidney Month in March, learn about kidney disease and your health, kidney transplants, and kidney donors. Chronic kidney disease affects nearly 15% of the U.S. population. In 2022, a record 24,669 life-saving kidney transplants were performed. Kidney disease and other related health conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes can be disabilities that affect your rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Join us for this informative episode about living well with kidney disease and the rights of kidney patients and kidney donors under the ADA and other laws.
Guest: Dr. Frita McRae Fisher, M.D., Physician and Nephrologist with Midtown Nephrology, P.C., in Atlanta, Georgia. Member of the Georgia National Kidney Foundation Board of Directors.
Host: Dan Kessler, Interim Executive Director for the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL)
Moderator: Barry Whaley, Project Director of the Southeast ADA Center
Contents
Featured in This Episode
Kidney Disease and Your Health
Life After a Kidney Transplant
Learn about Kidney Donation
Legal Rights of Persons with Kidney Disease and Kidney Donors
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Research
Featured in This Episode
- Midtown Nephrology, P.C.
Dr. Frita Fisher is a board-certified physician/nephrologist in Atlanta, Georgia. She serves on the Georgia National Kidney Foundation Board of Directors. She can be reached at fritafishermd@gmail.com
Link: midtownnephrology.com/meet-dr-frita - Book: Under Pressure: A Guide to Controlling High Blood Pressure (2022)
Book written by Dr. Frita Fisher.
Link: amazon.com/dp/B09RWBPQYH - Healthy Happy Life Podcast
Hosted by Dr. Frita Fisher.
Source: Midtown Nephrology, P.C.
Link: midtownnephrology.com/healthy-happy-life-podcast-with-dr-frita - Dr. Frita on Instagram
Link: instagram.com/dr.frita/?hl=en - Dr. Frita on YouTube
Link: youtube.com/drfrita - Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL)
Dan Kessler is the Interim Executive Director of APRIL. He had a successful kidney transplant in January of 2022. He can be reached at dkessler@april-rural.org
Link: april-rural.org
Kidney Disease and Your Health
Note: Resources (website links) for this episode come from the National Institutes of Health – National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), except where another source is listed.
- National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease. Reach direct patient and caregiver support through their toll-free help line: 855.NKF.CARES (855.653.2273) or Email: nkfcares@kidney.org
Link: kidney.org - National Kidney Foundation Website in Spanish
Source: National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
Link: kidney.org/espanol - What is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)?
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects more than 1 in 7 U.S. adults—an estimated 37 million Americans.
Link: niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd - National Kidney Month – March 2023
Learn more about following your kidney health, about medical tests and diagnosis, and about preventing and managing chronic kidney disease.
Link: niddk.nih.gov/health-information/community-health-outreach/national-kidney-month - Learn More About CKD Health Topics
Link: niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease#topics - Causes of Chronic Kidney Disease
Nearly 1 in 3 people with diabetes and 1 in 5 people with high blood pressure have kidney disease.
Link: niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd/causes - Diabetic Kidney Disease
Link: niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/diabetic-kidney-disease - High Blood Pressure & Kidney Disease
Link: niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/high-blood-pressure - Symptoms of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Link: niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd/what-is-chronic-kidney-disease#symptoms - Kidney Failure and Dialysis Treatment
Kidney disease often gets worse over time and may lead to kidney failure and other health problems, such as stroke or heart attack. Approximately 2 in 1,000 Americans are living with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD)—kidney failure that is treated with a kidney transplant or dialysis.
Link: niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/kidney-failure/choosing-treatment#options - Kidney Disease Health Information in Spanish
Link: niddk.nih.gov/health-information/informacion-de-la-salud - Your Kidneys and You
Source: National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
Link: kidney.org/yourkidneysandyou - Fact Sheet: High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease
Source: National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
Link: kidney.org/news/newsroom/factsheets/High-Blood-Pressure-and-CKD - Press Release: NKF Launches New Kidney Disease Public Education Series
Available on YouTube both in English and Spanish. Both the videos and maps are also available on the NKF website.
Source: National Kidney Foundation (NKF) (October 10, 2022)
Link: kidney.org/news/nkf-launches-new-kidney-disease-public-education-series - End-Stage Kidney (Renal) Disease
Source: Mayo Clinic
Link: mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/end-stage-renal-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354532
Life After a Kidney Transplant
- Kidney Transplant
Link: niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/kidney-failure/kidney-transplant - Steps to Keep Your Transplanted Kidney
Source: National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
Link: kidney.org/atoz/content/keepyourtransplantedkidney - Life After Transplant: Rejection Prevention and Healthy Tips
Source: American Kidney Fund
Link: kidneyfund.org/kidney-donation-and-transplant/life-after-transplant-rejection-prevention-and-healthy-tips
Learn about Kidney Donation
- Becoming a Kidney Donor
Source: National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
Link: kidney.org/transplantation - Register to Be an Organ Donor
Donating your organs could save up to 8 lives.
Source: National Donate Life Registry
Link: registerme.org - General Information about Living Donation
Source: National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
Link: kidney.org/transplantation/livingdonors/general-information-living-donation - Questions and Answers about Living Donation
Source: National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
Link: kidney.org/atoz/content/living-donation - Kidney Paired Donation
Source: United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
Link: unos.org/transplant/kidney-paired-donation - Celebrating the Nation’s Longest Kidney Chain
Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
Link: uab.edu/kidneychain - UAB Holds Record for Longest Kidney Donation Chain in the Country
Story Date: August 13, 2015 | Updated: March 30, 2018
Source: CBS 42 News (Birmingham, AL)
Link: cbs42.com/news/local/uab-holds-record-for-longest-kidney-donation-chain-in-the-country - How to Talk with Your Doctor: The Guide for Patients and Their Physicians Who Want to Reconcile and Use the Best of Conventional and Alternative Medicine (2010)
By Ronald Hoffman, M.D.
Link: amazon.com/How-Talk-Your-Doctor-Conventional/dp/1591202892
Legal Rights of Persons with Kidney Disease and Kidney Donors
Employment Rights
- Information on Job Accommodations for Persons with Renal/Kidney Disease
Source: Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
Link: askjan.org/disabilities/Renal-Kidney-Disease.cfm - Factsheet: Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace
Source: ADA National Network (ADANN)
Link: adata.org/factsheet/reasonable-accommodations-workplace - Blog: What Are My Rights As a Kidney Patient If My Employer Wants Me to Return to Work?
Updated May 27, 2020, with COVID-19 information.
Source: National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
Link: kidney.org/coronavirus/reopening-second-wave-kidney-disease-covid-19#what-are-my-rights-kidney-patient-if-my-employer-wants-me-to-return-to-work - Press Release: Job Security for Living Donors Guaranteed under Family and Medical Leave Act
Source: National Kidney Foundation (NKF) (August 28, 2018)
Link: kidney.org/news/job-security-living-organ-donation-guaranteed-under-family-and-medical-leave-act-us-department
Right to Health Care
- Factsheet: Health Care and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Source: ADA National Network (ADANN)
Link: adata.org/factsheet/health-care-and-ada - ADA, Disability & COVID-19 Information
Source: ADA National Network (ADANN)
Link: adacovid19.org - ADA Live! Podcast: Rationing of Medical Care and Protecting the Rights of People with Disabilities | Resources
Original Broadcast: April 22, 2020. You can access all ADA Live! episodes with archived audio, accessible transcripts, and resources at ADAlive.org. Listen on the SoundCloud ADA Live! channel at soundcloud.com/adalive.
Source: Southeast ADA Center
Podcast: adalive.org/episodes/episode-80
Resources: adalive.org/resources/episode-80-resources
Living Donor Laws
- Georgia Senate Approves Bill Inspired by Senator’s Family Health Journey
This bill, the “Giving the Gift of Life Act,” was signed into law on February 1, 2022
Source: Fox 5 Atlanta News (February 1, 2022)
Link: fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-senate-approves-bill-giving-the-gift-of-life-act-organ-donations - Living Donor Laws: Federal and State by State [PDF]
Updated January 2022
Source: American Transplant Foundation
Link: americantransplantfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Living-Donation-Laws.pdf - Map of State Laws Impacting Living Organ Donation
Source: Voices for Kidney Health – National Kidney Foundation
Link: voices.kidney.org/state-impact - Press Release: Congress Should Act on Living Donor Protection Act During Donate Life Month
Note: The Living Donor Protection Act has not yet been passed by Congress.
Source: National Kidney Foundation (NKF) (April 6, 2022)
Link: kidney.org/news/congress-should-act-living-donor-protection-act-during-donate-life-month - The Living Donor Protection Act: What You Need to Know
Blog from March 9, 2021
Source: Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Foundation
Link: pkdcure.org/the-living-donor-protection-act-what-you-need-to-know - Press Release: Senators Gillibrand and Cotton, Representatives Nadler and Herrera Beutler Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Protect Organ Donors
Source: U.S. Senate (March 1, 2021)
Link: gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/senators-gillibrand-and-cotton-representatives-nadler-and-herrera-beutler-introduce-bipartisan-bicameral-legislation-to-protect-organ-donors
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Research
- Chronic Kidney Disease in the United States, 2021 [PDF]
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (2021)
Link: cdc.gov/kidneydisease/pdf/Chronic-Kidney-Disease-in-the-US-2021-h.pdf - United States Renal Data System 2020 USRDS Annual Data Report: Epidemiology of Kidney Disease in the United States
Sources: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services (2020)
Link: usrds-adr.niddk.nih.gov/2020/end-stage-renal-disease - Kidney Disease Statistics for the United States
Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Link: niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/kidney-disease - Equity in Access to Transplant
In order to increase equity in access to organ transplant, we must understand the biological or social factors that can impact a waitlist candidate’s ability to receive a transplant.
Source: United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
Link: insights.unos.org/equity-in-access