NEW PUBLICATIONS

To order, please call 1–800–891–5390 or visit www.kidney.niddk.nih.gov.

Solitary Kidney

People with only one kidney need to be especially attentive to their kidney care, a task addressed by Solitary Kidney, a new publication from the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse.

This fact sheet is designed for people who have only one functioning kidney to cleanse their blood, either because they were born with only one kidney, lost one during surgical treatment for cancer or another disease, or donated one.

The publication details the possibility of high blood pressure, excessive protein in the urine, and reduced kidney function, and it encourages patients with solitary kidney to have their blood pressure, urine, and blood assessed annually to check kidney function. It further encourages patients to try to eat right, avoid injury, and keep blood pressure low.

Chronic Kidney Disease: A Family Affair

Genetics plays a key, though often poorly understood, role in the development of chronic kidney disease. People with a blood relative with kidney disease need to be especially aware of their risk and the importance of screening, which are two of the issues presented in the six-page booklet Chronic Kidney Disease: A Family Affair from the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse.

This publication details who is at risk, noting the tendency of the disease to run in families, and highlights the increased risk of certain racial and ethnic groups, among them African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and American Indians and Alaskan Natives. In addition, the booklet covers how doctors can diagnose kidney disease and how, once diagnosed, patients can keep kidney failure at bay.

NIH Publication No. 06–5743
October 2005