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You are invited to attend the
38th Annual AAKP National Convention! The Convention takes place August 26-28, 2011, in Little Rock, AR. The event kicks off with a public policy forum at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center, featuring health care
leaders, policy makers and patients.
After the public policy forum, the official AAKP Convention will begin at the Peabody Little Rock hotel. Building on the success of last year's program, AAKP is once again offering three educational tracks:
- Chronic Kidney Disease
- End-Stage Renal Disease
- Transplantation
The Convention Registration Brochure is now available. Visit the AAKP website,
www.aakp.org to download the brochure or call 1-800-749-2257 to register over the phone. | | |
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| Study Reveal Many Missed Cases of Kidney Disease | |
 A recent study shows a new way for diagnosing kidney disease proved significantly more accurate than the current standard approach, indicating there are potentially millions of Americans with undiagnosed - and missed diagnosed - kidney disease. The study was done by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California and appear in the April issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
More than 26,000 adults participated in the study. Scientists say three tests: creatine, cystatin C, and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) - was much more accurate in identifying kidney disease and predicting risk of kidney failure and death than the test for creatinine alone, which is the current standard diagnostic test.
For more information on this study, please click here. |
| Pacemaker -like Device Helps Reduce Blood Pressure | |
 An experienmental pacemaker-like device that delivers jolts of electricity to the neck arteries reduce blood pressure in people for whom drugs did not work, although not as much as its developers had hoped.
Two hundred and sixty-five people participated in the study using the Rheos device. Participants had severe hypertension, defined as systolic blood pressure greater than 160. The device was implanted into all participants - half with the device turned on and the other half with the device turned off. The study showed that 54 percent of those whose devise were turned on achieved the target systolic blood pressure rate after six months of treatment compared with 46 percent of the group whose devices were not activated. |
| Study Looks at How Surgery Makes Diabetes Disappear | |
 Researchers at Columbia University in New York and Duke University in North Carolina are looking into how weight Loss surgery appears to change the body's metabolism in a way that dieting alone cannot, helping to explain why diabetes often diappears after the surgery even before much weight is lost.
The researcher studied two small groups of severely obese diabetic patients who either had gastric bypass surgery or went on strict diets. Both groups lost 20 pounds. For the study, the teams measured metabolites -- chemical byproducts of foods in the body. They found that unlike dieting, gastric bypass changes a person's metabolism by significantly reducing levels of circulating amino acids - compounds linked to obesity, diabetes and insulin resistance.
Researchers said it is not clear why reducing stomach size might have this effect, but it is clear that bariatric surgery results in significant metabolic changes. The team is now looking to discover ways to develop drugs that could replicate this effect.
Click here to learn more. |
| Free CKD Education Toolkit | |
The non-profit group, Medical Education Institute has published a new free, six-part chronic kidney disease (CKD) education toolkit called, "How to Have a Good Future with Kidney Disease."
The toolkit includes six ready to use PowerPoint presentations: Coming to Terms, Kidneys & Kidney Disease, Slowing Kidney Disease, Transplant, Dialysis & Your Lifestyle, and Your Money & Your Life. It also includes speaker's script, learning objectives, quizzes and answer keys, and a how to guide.
The toolkit contains everything to provide quality education to people with CKD. To download your free copy, please visit www.lifeoptions.org/goodfuture. |
| Take the AAKP Survey | |
The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) wants to better serve you! Please take the opportunity to complete the AAKP General Assessment Survey. The answers you provide will give us a better understanding of the patients we serve and allow us to tailor AAKP programs and services to your needs.
The survey will take 6-8 minutes to complete. Your contact information will not be shared with a third party. To take the AAKP General Assessment Survey, please click here. |
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