Skip to main content
  1. Careers
  2. Resource Center
  3. About Us
  4. Contact Us
  5. Español
Thrive On
Fresenius Kidney Care
  • PatientHub
  • Community

Find a Dialysis Center

Find a Dialysis Center

Find a Dialysis Center
Permission to detect location was denied Current location could not be determined
    Try a detailed search

    Need help? Call 1-888-373-1470

    1. About Kidney Disease
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
      3. Kidney Disease Stages
      4. What Is a Nephrologist?
      5. What to Expect with CKD
      6. Kidney Disease Management
      7. Understanding Acute Kidney Injury
      8. How Kidneys Work
      9. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
    2. Treatments
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Dialysis Basics
      3. Benefits of Home Dialysis
      4. Home Peritoneal Dialysis
      5. Home Hemodialysis
      6. Sign up to Talk to a Home Dialysis Expert
      7. In-Center Hemodialysis
      8. Transplant
      9. Insurance & Managing Costs
      10. Choosing Not to Treat
    3. Life On Dialysis
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Your Emotional Health While on Dialysis
      3. Staying Engaged
      4. Staying Healthy
      5. Dialysis Travel Services and Information
      6. Tips for Loved Ones
      7. PatientHub
    4. Recipes & Nutrition
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Recipes
      3. Managing Your Diet
      4. Fluid Management on Dialysis
      5. Dialysis Diet Planning
      6. Cookbooks
    5. Thrive Central
      1. CKD
      2. Dialysis
      3. Diet & Nutrition
      4. Stories
      5. Wellness
      6. See All
    COMMUNITY
    PATIENTHUB
    HOME
    1. I Have Kidney Disease
    2. I’m Preparing For Dialysis
    3. I’m on Dialysis
    1. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
    2. Resource Center
    3. Recipes
    4. Request Patient Travel Services Information
    5. Sign Up for Our Newsletter

    Find a Dialysis Center

    Find a Dialysis Center

    Find a Dialysis Center
    Permission to detect location was denied Current location could not be determined
      Try a detailed search

      Need help? Call 1-888-373-1470

      1. About Us
      2. Contact Us
      3. FAQ
      4. Glossary
      5. Media
      6. Careers
      7. Español

      Need help? Call
      1-888-373-1470

      • facebook
      • twitter
      • youtube
      1. About Kidney Disease
        1. Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
          1. Symptoms
          2. Risk Factors
          3. Causes
          4. Diagnosis and Testing
          5. GFR Calculator
        2. Kidney Disease Stages
          1. Stage 1
          2. Stage 2
          3. Stage 3
          4. Stage 4
          5. Stage 5
        3. What Is a Nephrologist?
        4. What to Expect with CKD
        5. Kidney Disease Management
          1. Kidney Diet Basics
          2. CKD Medications
          3. Your Kidney Care Team
          4. Diabetes
          5. High Blood Pressure
        6. Understanding Acute Kidney Injury
          1. Acute Kidney Injury Treatment and Recovery
        7. How Kidneys Work
        8. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
      2. Treatments
        1. Dialysis Basics
          1. How Does a Hemodialysis Machine Work
          2. Starting Dialysis
          3. Types of Dialysis Access
          4. Your Care Plan
          5. Dialysis Medications
          6. Monitoring Your Lab Results
        2. Benefits of Home Dialysis
        3. Home Peritoneal Dialysis
          1. What to Expect
          2. Getting Prepared
          3. PD Access
          4. PD Training
          5. PD Monitoring
          6. Your Care Team
        4. Home Hemodialysis
          1. What to Expect
          2. Getting Prepared
          3. HD Training
          4. HD Monitoring
          5. Your Care Team
        5. Sign up to Talk to a Home Dialysis Expert
        6. In-Center Hemodialysis
          1. In-Center Treatment Options
          2. What to Expect
          3. Types of Vascular Access for Hemodialysis
          4. Your Care Team
          5. How to Choose a Center
        7. Transplant
          1. Finding a Kidney Donor
          2. Considering Kidney Donation
        8. Insurance & Managing Costs
          1. Understanding Medicare Coverage
          2. Understanding Medicare Advantage
          3. Understanding Employer Plans
        9. Choosing Not to Treat
      3. Life On Dialysis
        1. Your Emotional Health While on Dialysis
          1. Managing Your Emotions
          2. Talking About Dialysis
          3. Intimacy
          4. Body Image and Dialysis
          5. Building Your Dialysis Support Network
        2. Staying Engaged
          1. Tips for Working While on Dialysis
          2. In-Center Activities
          3. Hobbies
        3. Staying Healthy
          1. Managing Your Time on Dialysis
          2. Dialysis & Exercise
          3. Weight Management
          4. Avoiding Infection
          5. Managing Multiple Conditions
          6. Fighting the Flu
        4. Dialysis Travel Services and Information
        5. Tips for Loved Ones
          1. In-Center Hemodialysis
          2. At-Home Hemodialysis
          3. At-Home Peritoneal Dialysis
        6. PatientHub
      4. Recipes & Nutrition
        1. Recipes
        2. Managing Your Diet
          1. Eating Well on a CKD Diet
          2. Eating Well on a Dialysis Diet
          3. Salt and Kidney Disease
          4. Potassium and Kidney Disease
          5. Phosphorus and Kidney Disease
          6. Talking With Your Dietitian
        3. Fluid Management on Dialysis
        4. Dialysis Diet Planning
          1. Kidney-Friendly Shopping
          2. Eating Out
          3. Holiday Diet Tips
          4. A Chef’s Advice | Chef Aaron McCargo on Kidney Friendly Meals
        5. Cookbooks
      5. Thrive Central
        1. CKD
        2. Dialysis
        3. Diet & Nutrition
        4. Stories
        5. Wellness
        6. See All
      1. Home
      2. Media
      3. 2014 & 2015 Releases
      4. Ten Surprising Facts Everyone Should Know About Kidney Disease

      Ten Surprising Facts Everyone Should Know About Kidney Disease

      WALTHAM, Mass. – March 6, 2014 – More than 26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease (CKD), but many don’t realize it because people often do not have symptoms early in the disease. This March, during National Kidney Month, Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the nation’s leading network of dialysis facilities, is urging Americans to learn more about CKD. Those who are at risk should get screened regularly, since early intervention may slow the progression of the disease.

      Kidneys are remarkable organs that keep the body healthy in many ways, including cleaning waste products from the blood and releasing important hormones into the blood. Healthy kidneys filter about 200 liters of blood a day, as well as help regulate blood pressure and direct the production of red blood cells. But they can be damaged by diabetes, uncontrolled high blood pressure and even the use of some over-the-counter medications and supplements.

      CKD – a loss of kidney function that can take place over a period of months or years – often goes undiagnosed in its early stages when it may still be treated by medication, exercise and diet changes. Once the disease progresses to kidney failure, the only options for survival are dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant.

      “It’s important to find out early if you have CKD, because there are often interventions that may slow its progression,” says Dr. Dugan W. Maddux, vice president of Kidney Disease Initiatives at FMCNA. “Especially if you have diabetes or high blood pressure, you need to understand your risks and get regular screenings.”

      The Top 10 List: What You Need to Know About Kidney Disease

      1. About 13 percent of U.S. adults have CKD.
      2. The leading causes of CKD are diabetes and high blood pressure, which cause an estimated 44 percent and 28 percent, respectively, of new U.S. kidney failure cases. Diabetes rates are rising in large part due to           increasing obesity rates.
      3. Most people are born with two kidneys, but you only need one functioning kidney to live a full, healthy life.
      4. CKD progresses in stages and, if untreated, can lead to complete loss of kidney function. At CKD stage five, when both kidneys fail completely, the only options for survival are dialysis or a kidney transplant.
      5. The progression of CKD can often be slowed, but many people do not have symptoms early in the disease. Symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, diminished appetite and weight loss occur late in the course of CKD.
      6. CKD affects people of all ages. However, those 60 and over are the most likely to develop CKD.
      7. Certain ethnic groups, including African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans, are more likely than   Caucasians to develop CKD.
      8. About 430,000 Americans with kidney failure rely on regular blood-filtering dialysis treatments to survive.
      9. Although most patients receive dialysis treatments in a clinic three days a week, a growing number (nearly   40,000 U.S. patients in 2013) undergo dialysis in the comfort of their own homes.
      10. More than 90,000 U.S. patients are waiting for kidney transplants, but only about 18,000 of those will get a kidney transplant each year.

      If you or a loved one are at risk for CKD, please visit your physician and get screened.

       

      About Fresenius Medical Care North America

      Through our leading network of more than 2,150 dialysis facilities in North America and our vascular access centers, laboratory, pharmacy and affiliated hospitals and nephrology practices, Fresenius Medical Care provides renal services to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. We are also the continent’s top producer of dialysis equipment, dialyzers and related disposable products and a major supplier of renal pharmaceuticals.

      For more information about the company, visit www.fmcna.com.
      Back to Top
      1. About Us
      2. Español
      1. FAQ
      2. Resource Center
      3. Contact Us
      4. Glossary
      5. Media
      6. Careers
      1. Website Privacy Policy
      2. Terms of Use
      3. Site Map
      4. HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
      5. FreseniusKidneyCare.com Web Accessibility Statement
      6. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Data
      7. Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information
      • facebook
      • youtube
      • twitter
      • pinterest
      © 2016-2022 Fresenius Medical Care. All Rights Reserved.