DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita Inc. (DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services in the United States, today celebrates the beginning of National Kidney Month by asking people to take a short risk quiz to help determine their risk of kidney disease, one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S.  

One in 10 adults over 20 years of age in the U.S. has chronic kidney disease (CKD), or around 31 million Americans. CKD is typically symptomless until its later stages, which leaves many people unaware they are in an early stage of the disease until it is too late.

Chris Zitur, a 30-year-old from Denver, knows first-hand what it's like to be caught off guard by kidney disease. "I'd been feeling tired and unwell for months, but I chalked it up to being too busy," said Zitur. "Once I felt bad enough to see my doctor, my kidneys had almost completely lost their ability to function."

Zitur "crashed" into dialysis, meaning there was a very short period of time between being diagnosed and requiring dialysis or a transplant to be able to survive.

When kidney disease is detected in early stages, the progression may be slowed or prevented altogether with effective management of diet, exercise, medications and other diseases.

Those with diabetes and high blood pressure are at the greatest risk for developing kidney disease, as are people with cardiovascular disease, obesity, high cholesterol, lupus and a family history of the disease. Some minority populations are disproportionately affected by the disease – particularly African Americans, Hispanics and American Indians. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

One in three people with diabetes has kidney disease.

One in five people with high blood pressure has kidney disease.

African Americans are about three and a half times more likely to develop kidney failure than Caucasians.

Hispanics are one and a half times more likely to develop kidney failure than non-Hispanics.

The good news is there are many resources to help those impacted by kidney disease. DaVita Kidney Care provides a breadth of resources to help patients manage their health, including:

myDaVita – A collection of online tools and resources for patients and caregivers that includes an online social community, kidney-friendly recipes, and tools to help with diet and nutrition management, finding a nephrologist or finding a dialysis center.

DaVita Diet Helper™ – This tool helps patients take control of their health through diet management – a significant way to manage or delay the progression of kidney disease. In addition to 1,000-plus kidney-friendly recipes, DaVita Diet Helper™ offers a way to track important nutritional information.

Kidney-Friendly Cookbooks – A collection of seasonal cookbooks with kidney-friendly recipes that give patients with kidney disease delicious, healthy meal options.

Kidney Smart – No-cost educational classes designed to give patients and caregivers the information they need to understand and manage kidney disease.

Classes are open to the community and take place in cities across the U.S. Online classes are also available for those who prefer learning from home.

To take the risk quiz, learn about risk factors and access other kidney disease resources, please visit DaVita.com/LearnYourRisk.