American Kidney Fund Launches Lupus Nephritis Education and Awareness Campaign

ROCKVILLE, MD / ACCESSWIRE / February 4, 2021 / The American Kidney Fund (AKF) today announced a new patient-focused education and awareness campaign on lupus nephritis, a form of kidney disease that is caused by lupus. AKF’s campaign will provide people with lupus critically needed information about the signs, symptoms and treatment of lupus nephritis. AKF’s campaign has been developed with grant support from GSK.

Lupus nephritis is caused by the most common type of lupus, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE is an autoimmune disease that can harm many parts of the body; when it targets the kidneys, the patient is at risk for serious health problems including kidney failure. As many as 60% of people with SLE develop lupus nephritis, and as many as 3 in 10 people with lupus nephritis eventually develop kidney failure, meaning they will need dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.

“Lupus nephritis is challenging to diagnose because it does not always have major symptoms and it can look like so many other conditions, which is why many patients do not get the timely, accurate diagnoses they so desperately need,” said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. “We are grateful to GSK for working with us to support the lupus community with educational resources that are aimed at early detection and careful management of lupus nephritis so that fewer patients will experience kidney failure from this condition.”

AKF’s lupus nephritis education campaign will provide people with lupus and their caregivers a suite of resources about lupus nephritis. Among the first educational resources being released is a doctor discussion guide to help patients manage the multiple specialists that lupus nephritis patients must visit, including their primary care physician, rheumatologist, nephrologist, cardiologist, renal dietitian, and therapist, counselor or social worker. Throughout 2021, AKF will continue to build on the campaign by releasing additional educational resources and conducting targeted outreach to populations that are most impacted by lupus nephritis.

“Kidney damage is one of the most serious complications of lupus, and GSK is passionate about making a positive impact in the lives of people at-risk for, or living with, lupus nephritis,” said Dr. Bernie Rubin, U.S. Medical Affairs Director, GSK. “Patient-facing educational resources and outreach can help improve the lives of people with lupus, and we are proud to support this initiative led by the American Kidney Fund.”

About Us

The American Kidney Fund (AKF) fights kidney disease on all fronts as the nation’s leading kidney nonprofit. AKF works on behalf of the 37 million Americans living with kidney disease, and the millions more at risk, with an unmatched scope of programs that support people wherever they are in their fight against kidney disease-from prevention through transplant. With programs that address early detection, disease management, financial assistance, clinical research, innovation and advocacy, no kidney organization impacts more lives than AKF. AKF is one of the nation’s top-rated nonprofits, investing 97 cents of every donated dollar in programs, and holds the highest 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator and the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar.

For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Contacts:

Melissa Zuckerman
AKF@jpa.com
Work: 202-591-4021
Mobile: 561-714-7091
11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300
Rockville, MD 20852
https://www.kidneyfund.org/

SOURCE: American Kidney Fund

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