First National Phosphorus Awareness Day Engages 50,000 People
Kidney Patients, Families, and Professionals Advance Education
American Association of Kidney Patients Expands Social Impact
Washington, D.C.: The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), the oldest and largest independent kidney patient consumer organization in the U.S., launched its inaugural National Phosphorus Awareness Day on April 5 to an enthusiastic national audience. In the first forty-eight hours of the campaign, AAKP engaged over 50,000 kidney patients, families and care partners, and kidney professionals. The theme of the campaign was finding “The Hidden “P” in Kidney Disease” and funded by the support of Ardelyx.
AAKP has invested in the talent and the databases, targeting, and communications technologies necessary to simultaneously conduct multiple national kidney disease engagement campaigns through AAKP’s Center for Patient Research and Education. AAKP’s inaugural National Phosphorus Awareness Day represents a major expansion in AAKP’s efforts to enlist new people of goodwill and advocates interested in kidney disease prevention and high-quality kidney care. AAKP blends traditional grassroots outreach efforts with sophisticated social media and email marketing platforms to educate millions of at-risk Americans and their families on kidney disease and its potential to impact their lives, livelihoods, and economic security.
As a national patient advocacy organization, AAKP defines kidney disease as both a national healthcare and workforce issue with severe negative consequences including disability, job loss, dependency, and premature death. Kidney patients are at an increased risk for high phosphorus (termed hyperphosphatemia) due to their decreased kidney function and the inability to excrete excess nutrients, including phosphorus. Among these patients, phosphorus can accumulate to toxic levels. Hyperphosphatemia often has no symptoms and, if undetected, can increase the risk of seizures, stroke, heart attack, and even death. Approximately 80% of patients on dialysis require phosphate-lowering therapy on top of a modified, low-phosphorus diet. Hyperphosphatemia is defined as a serum phosphorus level higher than 4.5 mg/dL. To reinforce the 4.5 mg/dL marker, AAKP has claimed April 5 (4/5/2024) the ideal target for the first National Phosphorus Awareness Day.
“AAKP was well-prepared to lead National Phosphorus Awareness Day and to provide vital education on the devastating impacts of elevated phosphorus levels in individuals with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). We have expanded our communications and targeting capacities through our successful efforts leading National High Potassium Awareness Day (May 1) and dialysis-related National Itch Day (June 3) through our highly-effective campaigns, “Are You O-K+” and “Stop the Itch”. Each of these efforts has grown rapidly to reach millions of people via tailored messaging and have accelerated our reach within the kidney community and our impact with the American public,” stated Diana Clynes, AAKP Executive Director. Clynes continued, “We were absolutely thrilled with the success of our inaugural event, which confirms phosphorus awareness and timely, preventative treatments are topics of overwhelming interest to kidney patients and their families. We thank our national patient volunteers for the spectacular use of their social media networks, and we extend our heartfelt appreciation to Ardelyx for their support of this inaugural campaign.”
“Ardelyx is proud to partner with the American Association of Kidney Patients and sponsor National Phosphorus Awareness Day,” said Mike Raab, president and chief executive officer of Ardelyx. “As a company dedicated to improving the lives of patients and advancing care for those living with kidney disease, we believe it’s imperative for patients to feel empowered and make informed decisions about managing their phosphorus levels.”
To access more phosphorus education, visit https://bit.ly/TheHiddenPinKidneyDisease. You can download free AAKP resources including our popular Nutrition Counter, Understanding the Food Nutrition Facts Label, and all seven editions of AAKP Delicious! kidney-friendly recipes. Also check out AAKP’s latest webinar on The Essential Role of Diet in Kidney Health.
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Since 1969, The American Association of Kidney Patients has been a patient-led organization driving policy discussions on kidney patient care choice and medical innovation. Over the past decade, AAKP patient advocates have helped advance lifetime transplant drug coverage for kidney transplant recipients (2020); the Presidential Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health (2019); new job protections for living organ donors under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) via the U.S. Department of Labor (2018); and Congressional legislation allowing HIV-positive organ transplants for HIV-positive patients (2013). Follow AAKP on social media at @kidneypatient on Facebook, @kidneypatients on X, and @kidneypatients on Instagram, and visit www.aakp.org for more information.
