Kidney Action Week Preview: Q&A with Dr. Orlando Gutierrez

As we gear up for the American Kidney Fund's 2023 Kidney Action Week, which will be taking place March 20-24, we're previewing a few of the exciting sessions that are on the agenda for Kidney Action Week, one of the most comprehensive educational programs about kidney health for the entire kidney community!

This annual, week-long event brings members of the kidney community together during Kidney Month for engaging and informative sessions to support kidney health. It is free and 100% virtual, so you can attend from anywhere you happen to be.

In all, our schedule has over 30 sessions you can attend throughout the week, including Q&As with several nephrologists (kidney doctors) on various topics, so you can have your questions answered by professionals. You can view our full agenda here.

In this blog post, we'll be previewing "Do You Know the Real Cause of Your Kidney Disease? Why It Is Important You Know and How to Find Out," which will be held Monday, March 20 at 7 p.m. ET with speaker Orlando M. Gutierrez, MD.

What is your connection to and experience with kidney disease?

My connection is as a physician who cares for individuals with kidney disease and helps them to understand reasons for this kidney disease, options for treating their kidney disease and strategies to avoid future complications as best as possible.

What is one thing you wish more people knew or understood about kidney disease?

Kidney disease is often "silent" until it gets to advanced stages, and is often only picked up with blood work or urine tests. It's so important to get checked for kidney problems if you have risk factors (for example, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, strong family history).

Without giving too much away, what will you discuss in your Kidney Action Week session?

We'll discuss both common and rare causes of kidney disease, how to spot signs or symptoms that might be related to kidney disease, and how to protect your kidney function. The session will also include a discussion of the value of genetic testing and the impact that knowing the cause of your kidney disease can have.

Why should people attend Kidney Action Week?

This is a great opportunity to get education on how to keep your kidneys healthy, or if you already have kidney disease, what you can do to protect your kidneys as best as possible.

And why should people attend your session, specifically?

The best way to avoid kidney disease is to understand reasons why it may occur and your risk for developing kidney problems.  Our session will touch on these issues.

Dr. Gutierrez is a professor and director of the Division of Nephrology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a member of AKF's Medical Advisory Committee.

Kidney Action Week is supported by Presenting Sponsors Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly Co.; and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.; and U.S. Renal Care and program sponsors Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Travere Therapeutics.