Kidney Disease More Prevalant In African-American Population
Although reasons as to why the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure is high in African-Americans are unclear, one thing is certain; Black Americans are three times more likely than White Americans to develop kidney disease. Unfortunately, this racial imbalance does not discriminate across age groups and affects everyone the same.
Diabetes is the number one cause of kidney failure, with high blood pressure coming in at a close second. New research that identifies genetic differences, such as the APOL1 gene seen more frequently in the African-American population, seems to better explain the racial disparity. These markers explain why kidney disease seems to progress more rapidly in the Black population over any other racial group.
However, there are ways to prevent kidney disease, detect it earlier and slow the progression to kidney failure:
- Ask your family for information.
- Get tested.
- Adopt a healthy lifestyle.
No matter what your skin color, race or ethnicity– kidney disease is a growing health concern in the United States. You can get more information and resources on the National Kidney Foundation’s website.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE here.
