Dear ASN Members and Colleagues:
“World Kidney Day” is a concept developed by the International Federation of Kidney Foundations and the International Society of Nephrology to draw attention to the increasing global pandemic of kidney and associated cardiovascular diseases. The American Society of Nephrology joins with our colleagues in the ISN and IFKF in support of World Kidney Day to be launched on March 9, 2006 and fully inaugurated by March 8, 2007. The ASN wishes to participate by sharing this important message to federal agencies, government health officials, general physicians, applied health professionals, patients, and their families.
The incidence of chronic kidney diseases is increasing worldwide and these conditions are emerging as major public health problems. Progression to end stage kidney disease (ESRD) is common in numerous types of kidney diseases and often culminates in sclerosis and ESRD, regardless of the initial etiology. The number of new cases of ESRD in the United States is projected to be 650,000 by 2010, with accompanying Medicare expenditures of $28 billion. Although a major goal of “Healthy People 2010” is to reduce the incidence of ESRD, recent evidence has suggested that the incidence of ESRD is increasing faster than the prevalence of CKD.
Moreover, it has been appreciated recently that mild to moderate kidney disease is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease and that many patients with Stage I or II kidney disease succumb to cardiovascular disease before progression to ESRD. In the United States, chronic kidney disease continues to grow to epidemic proportions, with some studies estimating that approximately 10 million Americans have some degree of renal insufficiency. The renal protective effects of reduction in proteinuria is a theme developed from seminal fundamental observations that has recurred in clinical trials in non-diabetic nephropathy, and in Type I and Type II diabetes mellitus.
Since in many underdeveloped nations renal replacement therapy is either scarce or non-existent, patients with CKD face a bleak future. Paradoxically, in developing nations, the incidence of metabolic syndrome and Type II diabetes is increasing rapidly. Programs which provide assistance to these countries to demonstrate that inexpensive treatment is efficacious for the prevention of CKD prevention are clearly needed.
Closer to home, the evidence for slowing progression appears not to have gained wide acceptance in the practicing community. Several studies have demonstrated that proven strategies to slow progression are not being widely applied and early referral to nephrologists for evaluation and management of kidney disease, also associated with improved outcomes, have not gained wide acceptance.
Therefore, beginning with World Kidney Day, nephrology societies, international medical organizations, and individual nephrologists should help to draw attention to the necessity for early detection and for deployment of effective strategies to slow progression of chronic kidney disease. The public health mandate, to address chronic kidney disease at the level of early detection and prevention as the most cost effective method to address this problem, will require concerted advocacy. The strategy behind World Kidney Day, to enlist national and local societies and foundations to help achieve a better understanding of kidney disease is sound, but only a beginning. It is anticipated that through recognition of a special awareness day, there will follow an appreciation of the need for a more concerted effort worldwide. The American Society of Nephrology is eager to join with the International Society of Nephrology and other organizations to resolve that by working together, we can attempt to achieve a major reduction in the burden of kidney and cardiovascular disease.
In addition to the support by ASN of this important awareness day, I would sincerely appreciate your feedback on how nephrologists in the United States might form partnerships with PCPs to provide better care for Stage 2-4 kidney disease. Please click the link below to access a special form that the ASN has set up to collect your comments on this matter. Click here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=21471852839.
Sincerely yours,
Thomas D. DuBose, Jr., MD, FASN
2. Third Annual Renal Week Highlights
Four cities down but three more to go… Join the ASN at our Third Annual Renal Week Highlights Meetings, taking place in March in a city near you! Expert faculty will summarize, critique, and put into perspective key presentations from Renal Week 2005 in Philadelphia. These Renal Week Highlights programs are perfect not only for those of you who couldn't attend Renal Week but also for those November attendees who missed several key presentations. RENAL WEEK HIGHLIGHTS meetings are the best way to catch up on what you missed at Renal Week! Register online and obtain housing and program information at www.asn-online.org.
Join us in a city near you!
New York, New York, March 11 - 12, 2006
Houston, Texas, March 18 - 19, 2006
Toronto, Canada, March 25 - 26, 2006
3. Call for Nominations
ASN members are encouraged to suggest candidates for the 2006 ASN Council election. A special effort is being made to diversify the composition of the Council, so please consider suggesting individuals who will help the ASN accomplish this goal. Suggestions may be sent to the ASN office or directly to any of the members of the 2006 Nominating Committee, with a copy to the ASN office. All nominations must be received by Friday, April 7, 2006. A ballot including brief biographical data will be sent to all active members approximately two months before the annual meeting. Click here for a list of the members of the 2006 Nominating Committee and their contact information.
4. Membership Reminder
Do you want to ensure uninterrupted delivery of JASN, CJASN, and NephSAP? Are you counting on registering at the discounted membership rate for the Board Review Course in August? Are you planning to submit an abstract for Renal Week 2006? If so, then you need to renew your ASN membership! If you have not yet renewed your membership, please do so today! If you need a renewal form, please contact the ASN offices at email@asn-online.org.
5. Call for Abstracts for Renal Week 2006
The deadline to submit all abstracts for Renal Week 2006 is Wednesday, June 7, 2006, 11:59 pm Eastern Time. Once again, abstracts will only be accepted through our Abstracts Submission site, accessible through our website at www.asn-online.org. Abstracts received after June 7 will not be accepted or reviewed. No exceptions will be made. Abstracts must be submitted or sponsored by an active ASN member (dues paid through 2006, by Friday, May 26, 2006). Stay tuned to your mail and email boxes soon for an announcement that the site is open.
6. 11th Annual Board Review Course & Update
Join the ASN from August 26 to September 1, 2006 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco. The ASN's Board Review Course & Update has become a "Renal Rite of Passage" AND CAN BE CUSTOMIZED TO MEET YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS! An intensive review and update for ALL and a MUST for Certification & Re-Certification. The timing of the ASN Board Review Course & Update in late August maximizes attendees' readiness for the October Nephrology Board certification and recertification examinations of the American Board of Internal Medicine. After completion of the course and the self-assessment test on September 2, participants have a full two months to fill in any gaps in their knowledge. It's August, It's San Francisco, So it must be the ASN's Board Review Course! Stay tuned to your mail and email boxes later this spring for additional information and registration forms.
7. FDA Updated Public Health Notification: Gambro Prisma® Continuous Renal Replacement System
The FDA has become aware of additional serious injuries and deaths associated with the use of the Gambro Prisma® Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT)
device since the release of its preliminary Public Health Notification in August 2005. The Prisma® CRRT is a type of kidney dialysis system used in hospital intensive care units and other facilities for critically ill patients.
For additional information, please click here: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety/022706-gambro.html or access the pdf document here.
