New Guidelines from the American Kidney Fund Will Help People with Chronic Kidney Disease Manage High Potassium
2024年7月11日 - 10:43PM
The American Kidney Fund (AKF) today launched patient-focused
guidelines to help people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) manage
and treat hyperkalemia, also known as high potassium. Kidney
disease is the most common cause of hyperkalemia, a serious and
potentially life-threatening condition that can cause an irregular
heartbeat or a heart attack. The guidelines were developed with
support from AstraZeneca.
People with CKD are at an increased risk of developing
hyperkalemia because their kidneys do not work as well as they
should to remove extra potassium in the blood, leading to elevated
levels of potassium in the body. Not treating high potassium can
cause severe heart problems, making careful management of high
potassium critical.
“Managing hyperkalemia can be overwhelming and stressful,” said
LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. “These guidelines will
help people with hyperkalemia understand the importance of keeping
potassium at a healthy level and will give them the knowledge they
need to take an active role in managing their health care. We are
thankful for AstraZeneca’s support as we launch this guidance and
look forward to our continued work together in support of people
with kidney disease.”
People with CKD should meet with their health care provider to
develop a personalized plan to help them manage and treat high
potassium based on the stage of CKD they are in. AKF’s guidelines
include tips to help people follow the plan created by their
provider, along with information on checking potassium numbers,
symptoms of hyperkalemia, medicines that can help manage potassium
numbers and foods to eat and avoid.
AKF conducted focus groups with both patients and professionals
to help inform the development of the guidelines and worked with
medical experts on the evidence-based, health-literate content.
Focus group participants, consisting of people with hyperkalemia
and people in the general kidney patient population, were asked to
share their awareness of hyperkalemia and their knowledge of how to
manage it.
To view the hyperkalemia guidelines, visit our website. The
guidelines are also available as a mobile-friendly download and in
Spanish. For more resources on managing hyperkalemia, visit AKF’s
Beyond Bananas campaign website.
About the American Kidney Fund
American Kidney Fund (AKF) fights kidney disease on all fronts
as the nonprofit with the greatest direct impact on people with
kidney disease. AKF works on behalf of 1 in 7 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.
AKF fights for kidney health for all through programs that address
early detection, disease management, financial assistance, clinical
research, innovation and advocacy. 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 for 21 consecutive years and the Platinum Seal of
Transparency from Candid, formerly known as GuideStar.
For more information, visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with AKF
on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Nancy Gregory
American Kidney Fund
(240) 292-7077
ngregory@kidneyfund.org