Kidney Disease Often Unreported in Blacks Kidney disease, which is four times higher among Black Americans than White Americans, often goes undetected until the latest stages, according to new research. In a study that included more than 3,400 Black Americans who were interviewed and given physical examinations, about one in five were found to have chronic kidney disease, but fewer than one in six knew they had the condition. “Much of the problem of patient awareness is due to a lack of awareness of the medical practitioners,” study lead author Dr. Michael F. Flessner said in a National Kidney Foundation news release. “Most physicians were trained in an era in which serum creatinine (a measure of kidney function) was used as an absolute indicator of kidney disease.” Currently, early stages of kidney disease are diagnosed when protein is detected in the urine, and later stages of the disease are diagnosed by reductions in the glomerular filtration rate, a measure of how well the kidneys are filtering out waste products. “It is imperative that new approaches be implemented to increase awareness, diagnosis and treatment — for both the health-care provider and the patient,” the researchers said. Their findings are published in the February issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

TAGS: Blacks, Disease, kidney, unreported

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