[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 138 (Tuesday, December 7, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2186]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE LINK BETWEEN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK AND KIDNEY DISEASE

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                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2004

  Mr. KIRK. Mr Speaker, I call attention to the link between 
cardiovascular risk and kidney disease. On December 6, 2004, the 
Congressional Kidney Caucus, in cooperation with the National Kidney 
Foundation, sponsored a luncheon in which Dr. George Bakris, MD, from 
Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, spoke on this troubling 
trend. I submit Dr. Bakris' remarks for the Record:

                 Cardiovascular Risk and Kidney Disease

       Kidney disease is a silent killer, in that, there are no 
     signs or symptoms until you lose >70% of your kidney 
     function. A 50% loss of kidney function increases your risk 
     of a cardiovascular event (heart attack, stroke, sudden 
     death, heart failure) to more than double that of the general 
     population. The risk of dying from a cardiovascular event, if 
     you've lost 50% or more of your kidney function, is similar 
     to that of having had a heart attack. Aggressive measures to 
     achieve guideline goals (JNC7, ADA, NCEP) for blood sugar 
     (HbAlc less than 7%), blood pressure (less than 130/80mmHg) 
     and cholesterol levels (less than 200mg/dl) reduce both 
     cardiovascular risk and risk of kidney disease progression. 
     According to the most recent NHANES 1999-2000 data only 7.3% 
     of Americans with diabetes, the most common cause of kidney 
     disease achieve all three of these goals.
       The crisis of chronic kidney disease is that it is ``under-
     diagnosed, under-treated,'' and the relationship of chronic 
     kidney disease to cardiovascular disease, ``under-
     recognized.'' It is now estimated that 1 in every 9 adults--
     approximately 20 million Americans--has chronic kidney 
     disease and most don't know it. The morbidity 
     (hospitalizations, disability) associated with cardiovascular 
     events in people with kidney disease is significantly higher 
     than people without kidney disease. This translates into very 
     high expenditures on the part of Medicare as well as lost 
     wages and a reduced work force due to this disease. At the 
     current rate of increase in kidney disease, we can expect a 
     doubling of the number of people with kidney failure by 2010 
     at a projected cost of 28.3 billion dollars annually. 
     Therefore, reducing risk of cardiovascular disease and 
     development of kidney disease requires a preventive strategy.

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