[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 16, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                POLYCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE AWARENESS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 2015

  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, last Thursday, September 3, was PKD 
Awareness Day. Throughout the country, ordinary citizens took the time 
to make their neighbors aware of a little-known disease affecting 
thousands of people in the United States.
  Polycystic Kidney Disease or PKD is a genetic disease that eventually 
leads to kidney failure. Parents have a 50 percent chance of passing 
the disease to each of their children. However, 10 percent of the 
people diagnosed with PKD have no family history of the disease. More 
alarming, PKD is the fourth leading cause of kidney failure, and more 
than 50 percent of people with PKD will develop kidney failure by age 
50.
  Unfortunately, there is no treatment to stop or slow the growth of 
the cysts that develop and enlarge in both kidneys. The only remedy at 
this time for kidney failure or end stage renal disease (ESRD) is 
dialysis or a kidney transplant. While ESRD patients are less than one 
percent of the Medicare population, they account for nearly seven 
percent of the Medicare budget--totaling nearly $35 billion annually.
  PKD Awareness Day helps to bring attention to this debilitating 
disease and the constant challenges people impacted by PKD face. 
Advocates joined together across the country this year to highlight the 
need for research and innovation that could help PKD patients and their 
families.
  I stand in support of these tireless advocates to help find better 
treatments, but more importantly, a cure for PKD. It is essential to 
raise awareness about PKD in the hopes of bringing relief to the more 
than 20 million Americans with kidney disease.

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