Twenty-six million American adults experience a gradual loss of kidney function over time, known as chronic kidney disease. The disease, which includes conditions that damage kidneys, such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, decreases the kidneys’ ability to help keep a person healthy. When kidney disease worsens, it may lead to kidney failure which requires dialysis treatments or a transplant to stay alive. This is known as the last stage of kidney disease, or end-stage renal disease.
More than 600,000 Americans reach the last stage of kidney disease and require life-sustaining dialysis treatments several times a week. Currently, the U.S. offers no widely available alternative for managing worsening kidney disease without receiving dialysis. Other countries have had success in creating such alternative care plans, or pathways, that improve quality of life for many patients who choose not to undergo dialysis. As a result, there is a movement afoot to provide less intensive, yet comprehensive, care options for people through all stages of chronic kidney disease.
The foundation is supporting the Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition, through a program called Pathways Project, to develop and prepare to pilot evidence-based pathways to manage chronic kidney disease without dialysis, but with an increased emphasis on supportive care. This will include patients and families articulating their values and choices, especially concerning end-of-life care; understanding their options for conservative care; and receiving palliative care services. Read more about the program in a recent news story from Nephrology News.
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