News & Events
Discover new information and educational offerings that we provide. Explore our newsletters, blogs and upcoming webinars/conference calls.
Contents:
Financial Coverage for Peritoneal Dialysis
There are several options to pay for your dialysis treatments including insurance through your employer or other private health plan, Medicare, Medicaid and through military health programs. The Medicare program was designed to be available to anyone who was born in the US, a permanent and legal resident for 5 years, or the spouse of an individual who paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. People with end stage renal disease (ESRD) or those who needed a kidney transplant regardless of age (as long as they met the residency requirements) qualify for Medicare. Some individuals are considered dual eligible and receive Medicare coverage for acute services, and Medicaid covers Medicare premiums and some [...]
The DPC Education Center Announces New Board of Directors
Nancy Scott named Board President The DPC Education Center (The Center) is pleased to announce the organization’s founding Board of Directors, led by newly-elected Board President Nancy Scott. The Board of Directors will help shape The Center’s work and realize its mission of improving kidney disease patients’ quality of life and reducing the occurrence of end stage renal disease (ESRD). The new Board is comprised of 14 ESRD patients, including 9 current dialysis patients and 5 transplant recipients. President Nancy Scott, from Newark, DE, exemplifies The Center’s commitment to patient education and empowerment. She previously served as the Board President of Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC), an affiliate organization of the DPC Education Center, and currently [...]
Facts About the Flu
Flu Facts Flu season usually runs from November through April. The flu can cause mild to severe illness, and even lead to death. Each year, in the U.S. about 36,000 people die from flu-related illness and there are more than 200,000 people hospitalized. Over 90% of deaths and about 60% of hospitalizations occur in people older than 65. Who is at risk? In seasonal flu, certain people are at “high risk” of serious complications. This includes people 65 years and older, children younger than five years old, pregnant women, and people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions, such as chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. Who should get a seasonal flu shot? People [...]
Emergency Disaster Preparedness for Dialysis Patients
As evident from the disaster of hurricane Katrina and the recent hurricanes Gustav and Hanna, it is important to be prepared. For everyone this means having an evacuation plan ensuring you have plenty of clean water and food supplies, and knowing how to get in touch with your friends and loved ones. For dialysis patients there are even more preparedness measures needed. You may be surprised to know that most local and state governments do not have a disaster preparedness plan that accounts for the special needs of dialysis patients. Therefore, it is extremely important that you take responsibility to prepare for a potential disaster. What is an emergency or disaster, who is at risk [...]
Low Blood Pressure – Hypotension
By Dewayne Hasten, DPC Patient Ambassador, Hemodialysis Patient and Biomedical EngineerPatient to Patient: Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension) During Dialysis TreatmentsProtecting your accessYou are a hemodialysis patient, and you know the score. You arrive at the clinic for your treatment and go right to the scale, weigh yourself, and head to your chair. There are the usual pleasantries, the questions about your health since your last treatment, and your vital signs are checked.The nurse or technician then straps the blood pressure cuff on your arm and you hear the monitor start. You feel the cuff around your arm start to inflate. You think to yourself, “here we go again,” as you prepare for another treatment that [...]
What You Need to Know about Anemia and Kidney Disease
Anemia and Kidney Disease Anemia can make you feel weak, tired, and short of breath. You may also have headaches and trouble sleeping. You may also experience a loss of appetite and a more rapid heart rate. Anemia (uh-NEE-me-eh) comes from the Greek work that means “without blood”. Anemia is common in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) When kidneys are healthy, they make a hormone called erythropoietin, or EPO. This hormone helps the bone marrow to produce the amount of red blood cells (RBC) that the body needs to carry oxygen to vital organs. When the kidneys are damaged, they often do not make enough EPO. As a result, the bone marrow makes too [...]
Treatment Options for Pediatric Kidney Disease
Children with kidney failure have a few options to choose from, depending on the severity of their disease. The primary goal is to have a successful transplant, however viable kidneys are not always available and some children are not strong candidates for transplants. In some cases a nephrectomy is a solution that can make childhood disease easier to manage. In most cases parents choose home dialysis options either home hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Transplants In adults, most transplanted kidneys come from donors who have just perished. However, about half of the kidney transplants in children come from a living donor, usually a parent or other close family member. Those who do not have a relative able [...]
Issues Specific to Children with Pediatric Kidney Disease
Children are not just little versions of adults. They endure their own physical and mental issues that deserve extra attention. Physical Immunizations Early childhood is when several series of immunizations are scheduled, which can create additional issues in children with renal failure. Due to weakened immune systems, it is even more important that children with CKD receive all recommended vaccinations plus pneumonia and influenza. Children who are on immunosuppressive medication to prevent transplant rejection or treat an autoimmune disease should not receive live viruses though, those include the polio oral vaccine, the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine or the varicella (chicken pox) vaccine. Of particular concern, is the rates of vaccination against influenza in [...]
Albumin and Chronic Kidney Disease
What is albumin? Albumin is a protein, found in animal sources such as meats, milk-products, and eggs. It is also found in plant sources such as beans, nuts, and seeds. Albumin provides the body with the protein needed to both maintain growth and repair tissues. It can also help with fluid removal during the dialysis treatment. If your albumin level is good, fluid will move more easily from swollen tissues into the blood, where it can then be removed by the dialyzer. For dialysis patients, the preferred range for the serum (blood) albumin is 4.0 g/dl or greater. What can cause your Albumin level to drop? There are a wide variety of reasons an albumin level may become low. Areas [...]
Learn More About Anemia
Anemia is a complex topic. You can learn more about anemia and its treatment in greater detail by visiting the following websites: Kidney School Anemia Module https://www.kidneyschool.org/m06/ Kidney School is a free, on-line, interactive kidney learning center offered by the Life Options program. There are 16 modules, including one on anemia. You can also download this module. Anemia in Kidney Disease and on Dialysis https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/anemia Online information from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. What You Should Know About Anemia https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/what_anemia_ckd Online basic information from the National Kidney Foundation.
What is Dialysis and Chronic Kidney Disease?
It is estimated that more than 31 million American adults have chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, a survey done by the National Medical Association and Amgen shows that most adults know very little about the symptoms or treatment of the disease. How can people be so unaware of a disease that affects so many? Like diabetes and high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease is called a “silent killer” because there are few symptoms and by the time a person realizes they have a problem, much damage has already been done. By sharing information you can help save lives. Because chronic kidney disease happens over time, creating awareness and encouraging people to get their kidney function checked regularly may [...]
What You Can Do to Manage Your Anemia
Anemia is common among individuals with chronic kidney disease. Take this quick quiz to find out if you might have anemia: Do You Have These Symptoms of Anemia? I am very tired all/a lot of the time I feel like my muscles are weaker than they used to be I feel dizzy or lightheaded-like I might pass out I feel short of breath after even a little bit of activity I am cold when others around me are not I feel confused or have trouble thinking clearly I have very pale skin and/or bluish fingernails or lips I crave to chew ice or to eat clay, starch, dirt or other non-food substances I am having [...]
What Are My Options If I Have Kidney Failure?
While many people learn suddenly that they have kidney failure, or end stage renal disease (ESRD), chronic kidney disease (CKD) happens over time. For those who know they will be facing kidney failure, they have time to learn about the treatment choices, or modalities, available and prepare. Whether a person has months to prepare or needs to make a sudden decision about which modality is right, his or her doctor or nephrologist (doctor specializing in kidney care) will help educate and guide. Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation There are two treatments for kidney failure: dialysis and transplantation. Dialysis is a treatment that cleans the blood to remove waste when the kidneys are no longer able to [...]
Kidney Health Disparities
African American, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native adults are twice as likely as white adults to have diabetes, which is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD). High blood pressure, obesity, and a family history of kidney disease are also major risk factors for CKD. Other factors that can lead to kidney failure include drug abuse, HIV, and sickle cell disease. CKD and its progression to kidney failure (also known as End Stage Renal Disease, or ESRD) is devastating and disproportionately affects minority communities. African Americans are 3.6 times more likely to have kidney failure. Hispanic Americans and Native Americans are almost twice as likely to develop kidney failure when compared with the general [...]
Low Blood Pressure – Intradialytic Hypotension
By Dori Schatell, Medical Education Institute One of the main jobs of dialysis is to remove excess water from your body. Seems pretty simple, right? Like wringing out a wet towel? Of course, your body is more complex than a towel—and taking over a task that healthy kidneys did isn’t really so easy. Removing water can lower your blood pressure at dialysis, which can make you feel wretched during and even after a treatment. We’ll tell you why—and how you can stop it. Fluid in Your Body Maybe you’ve heard that the human body is made mostly of water. It’s True — and water in your body is found in three “fluid compartments:” Inside [...]
The Power of Iron
Why is iron so important in kidney disease? The answer is that iron can help with anemia (a lack of red blood cells), which is a common problem for people with kidney disease. Anemia can be a significant problem for you as a kidney patient because of the nature of kidney disease. The kidneys have four basic functions: Removal of waste products Maintain fluid balance Restore electrolyte and acid/base balance Stimulate the release of certain hormones The dialysis process takes care of the first three functions. The hormone erythropoietin (or “EPO”) stimulates your bone marrow to produce red blood cells. Your kidneys are responsible for 90% of erythropoietin (EPO) stimulation. Without EPO there is no [...]
High Blood Pressure and Chronic Kidney Disease
Blood pressure is the measure of how much pressure or force your heart needs to use to push your blood through your blood vessels. High blood pressure – a serious medical condition in which the force needed to move the blood is too high, making the heart work extra hard – is one of the top causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD). When blood pressure is too high, it can cause the walls of blood vessels to thicken and become stiff and can also damage other organs throughout the body. If a person’s kidneys are damaged by diabetes, this can actually lead to high blood pressure. Healthy kidneys make an enzyme called renin, an [...]
Treating Anemia
This fact sheet answers some questions for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or on dialysis who are receiving Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents (ESAs) to treat their anemia. This fact sheet also provides some questions to help you talk with your doctor or anemia management nurse about your treatment. Why am I getting this information? You are getting this information because you have been prescribed an ESA or you and your doctor may be considering whether you should take one. The common brand names for these drugs are Aranesp®, Procrit® and Epogen®. You may have heard or read about risks with the use of ESAs to treat anemia. Like any medicine, ESAs have both short [...]
Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease
People with diabetes have a greater risk of developing serious problems with their kidneys. In fact, diabetes is one of the leading causes of chronic kidney disease (also called CKD). To better understand why diabetes is a top cause of CKD, it is important to know more about diabetes and how it can damage your kidneys. Diabetes is a disease that affects a person’s sugar levels (also called blood glucose levels). There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas (an organ in the body behind the stomach) does not make insulin any longer. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas still makes insulin, but not very much at all, [...]
Be Prepared During an Emergency with this Meal Plan for Dialysis Patients
Emergencies happen every day and the more prepared you are for an emergency the better your outcome will be. Depending on the situation and on the stage of your kidney disease, you may be without your normal clinic or unable to grab all of your home supplies. You should have an emergency survival kit that includes: Food and water for each person for three days Flashlight with fresh batteries First aid kit Three days’ worth of medications Prescriptions and instructions to administer in case you are unable to communicate Emergency numbers for your doctors and or dialysis center If you are a dialysis patient, your emergency three day meal plan should have about 40-50 grams of [...]
