Kidney failure is sometimes called a silent killer, since symptoms aren’t noticeable until they’re life threatening. About one in seven people have chronic kidney disease, or about 15 percent of Americans, and many of them don’t know it.
Treatments for kidney failure have improved — drugs, dialysis and kidney transplants are more successful than they used to be. But more than half of people who start dialysis still die within five years.
Coming up at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a doctor about the need for prevention and early treatment, and a Minnesotan who lived through four kidney transplants.
And we want to hear from you. Are you or someone in your life living with kidney disease? How are you managing it?
MPR News is supported by Members. Gifts from individuals power everything you find here. Make a gift of any amount today to become a Member!
Call 651-227-6000 or 800-242-2828 during the 9 a.m. hour.
Guests
-
Dr. Naim Issa is a nephrologist who treats people with kidney disease and kidney transplants at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He’s also an associate professor at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine.
-
Jennifer Cramer-Miller has lived with kidney disease since her early 20s and has received four kidney transplants, including a kidney from her mother and from a 25-year-old anonymous donor. She serves as board chair of the National Kidney Foundation (serving Minnesota). She’s just out with a memoir, “Incurable Optimist: Living with Illness and Chronic Hope.”
Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.