Tampa, FL – A new medical textbook on chronic kidney disease featuring chapters from many famous nephrologists and edited by Stephen Fadem, M.D., the chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), a nephrologist, and a chronic kidney disease patient was released today by Nova Science Publishers.  The book,Essentials of Chronic Kidney Disease, is designed to help clinicians who have patients with kidney disease to develop an organized and structured approach for treatment that is based on evidence and expert opinion.  Several chapters have been contributed by noted American nephrologists, including Andrew Levey, M.D., Richard Glassock, M.D., Garabed Eknoyan, M.D., and William Mitch, M.D.

Dr. Fadem is a practicing Houston, TX nephrologist. He began practice in 1978 after completing a renal fellowship at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, and did his internal medicine residency at The University of Texas and MD Anderson Hospital in Houston. He is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of medicine.

An estimated 26 million American are affected by CKD, including 400,000 individuals who are undergoing treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure.  Most commonly caused by diabetes or high blood pressure, kidney failure is expected to claim more than two million loves by 2030. Without dialysis or kidney transplant, patients suffering from kidney failure will not survive.

“As clinicians, we have an obligation to not only provide the best quality care for our patients, but also to get them involve in their own care,” stated Dr. Fadem. “In this book, I not only took the opinions of the leading kidney experts in the world, but I also include my 40 years of experience with caring for patients. My hope is that the book is valuable to the reader, whether involved in physician education or clinical practice, or medical student.  It can serve as a resource to the internist or primary care physician deciding upon when to refer a patient to the nephrologist. This book is also for the health plan director desiring to set up a program to transition patients between CKD stages or to develop a disease management program should find this book highly useful.”

Proceeds from the book are being donated to the American Association of Kidney Patients.  As a national organization that reaches more than one million kidney patients and their friends and family members annually, AAKP is uniquely positioned as one, if not the most, impactful patient organization in the renal community due to its patient-centered, patient-focused structure. As an organization that is run by patients, for patients, AAKP is able to keep the patient voice and interests in the forefront, making the Association highly regarded by the renal community at large – including health care professionals; patients and family members; industry (pharma/providers) and public policy makers.

The book is available for purchase on Amazon.com – http://bit.ly/EssentialsCKD.

AAKP is a voluntary non-profit organization founded by kidney patients, which for more than 45 years, has been dedicated to improving the quality of life of kidney patients through education, advocacy and the fostering of patient communities. The programs offered by AAKP inform and inspire patients and their families to better understand their condition, adjust more readily to their circumstances, and assume more normal, productive lives in their communities.