Kidney Month: 31 Days of Action to Equip and Empower People to Fight Kidney Disease

ROCKVILLE, Md. (Feb. 29, 2024) – The first day of March marks the beginning of Kidney Month, a month in which the American Kidney Fund (AKF) will mark 31 days of action that will focus on equipping and empowering people with the tools they need to prioritize their kidney health and fight kidney disease, a life-altering chronic condition that impacts about 37 million Americans. During Kidney Month, AKF calls on members of the kidney community and the general public to join in solidarity in support of everyone affected by kidney disease. 

One of the hallmarks of Kidney Month at AKF is Kidney Action Week, which will be held March 18-22. This free, virtual event will bring together patients, nephrologists, renal dieticians, caregivers and other kidney experts for a weeklong series of sessions about a variety of topics related to kidney disease, including dialysis, kidney disease prevention, kidney-friendly eating, transplant, innovations in kidney disease and more. 

Kidney Action Week will include a Congressional Briefing that will focus on rare kidney disease, with a discussion focusing on the need to increase research and public awareness, promote earlier diagnosis and improve access to genetic testing and counseling and additional treatments. Speakers include Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), who introduced the New Era of Preventing End-Stage Kidney Disease Act of 2023. 

To learn more about Kidney Month and ways to get involved, people may visit AKF's Kidney Month hub, KidneyFund.org/kidney-month, where they can take the following actions: 

• Register for Kidney Action Week
• Learn about health disparities in kidney disease by visiting KidneyHealthforAll.org
• Become an AKF Ambassador or Kidney Health Coach
• Download and share AKF's educational resources with others and learn healthy living tips for preventing or managing kidney disease
• Reach out to members of Congress and urge them to take action on kidney issues
• Make a donation to honor a loved one or support the kidney community 
• Take AKF's kidney knowledge quiz 

"Kidney Month is a critical part of AKF's decades-long efforts to fight kidney disease, the fastest growing noncommunicable disease in the country," said LaVarne A. Burton, President and CEO of AKF. "These 31 days of action will provide members of the kidney community with the foundational knowledge and tools they need to better their kidney health and enhance their lives, and in turn, the lives of others as well."

Kidney disease inflicts tremendous physical, emotional and financial burdens on patients and their families. Symptoms typically don't appear until later stages, so 9 in 10 people with early kidney disease are unaware they have it or that they should be taking precautions to slow down the disease's progression. In addition, people with kidney disease have a higher chance of developing other health problems, such as heart disease. Once someone has reached kidney failure, they require dialysis or a kidney transplant to live. As many as 80 percent of dialysis patients can't work because of the toll of the disease. 

AKF recognizes and appreciates its 2024 Corporate Membership class that supports our Kidney Month activities: Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Amgen, Inc., Ardelyx, Inc., AstraZeneca plc, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company, Calliditas Therapeutics AB, Pfizer Inc., Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., PhRMA, Spherix Global Insights and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.