Kidney Advocates Spotlight National Gout Awareness Day

TAMPA, Fla., May 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), America's largest, independent and patient-led kidney advocacy organization, is observing May 22^nd, National Gout Awareness Day, through an expansion of its educational programming around gout and kidney disease.  Gout is a form of arthritis impacting tens of millions of Americans including many of those with chronic illnesses including kidney disease and kidney failure. National Gout Awareness Day encourages kidney patients to acknowledge the disease impact and to consult with their physicians and medical teams to seek available treatments.

"Chronic kidney disease, along with the health complications that often accompany it including gout, is both a national health issue as well as a national workforce and productivity issue. Millions of Americans, including kidney patients, have underlying medical conditions that lead to gout and the unfortunate intense pain and lost work days associated with it," stated Paul T. Conway, President of AAKP and a former Chief of Staff for the United States Department of Labor. "The goal of Gout Awareness Day is to remind patients, families and medical professionals that effective treatments do exist for gout and, contrary to myth and uninformed speculation, patients who suffer from gout do so at no fault of their own."

AAKP is a Steering Committee Member of The Alliance for Gout Awareness, which also includes National Black Nurses Association; Rheumatology Nurses Society; Alliance for Patient Access; American Kidney Fund; Global Healthy Living Foundation; and the U.S. Pain Foundation. In support of Gout Awareness Day, AAKP is releasing a variety of new patient, educational resources and will be adding additional materials throughout the coming year.

AAKP recently hosted a very well-received HealthLine Webinar entitled What You Need to Know about Gout.  The webinar featured advice from Dr. Christopher Parker, D.O., FACP, a Rheumatologist, as well as perspectives of three kidney patients managing gout including: Jen Gentry (a chronic kidney disease patient) Paul T. Conway, AAKP President (Transplant Recipient) and Richard Knight, AAKP Vice President and Chair of Public Policy (Transplant Recipient). The webinar was supported by an educational donation from Horizon Pharma. The webinar is available at: https://aakp.org/aakp-healthline/.

AAKP has expanded its Understanding Series, which focuses on specific topics of importance to kidney patients, to include an educational brochure on the gout and its impact on those with kidney disease titled Understanding Gout and Kidney Disease. The brochure will be available as a PDF download or in print copy.  AAKP thanks Horizon Pharma for its support of this educational program. Visit https://aakp.org/shop/ to get your copy.

AAKP will also feature the subject of gout at two Lunch with an Expert table sessions during the upcoming AAKP 43^rd National Patient Meeting June 8 – 10, 2018 in St. Petersburg, Florida.  For more information, please visit: https://aakp.org/national-patient-meeting/

The Alliance for Gout Awareness is a national coalition of diverse consumer and patient stakeholders who will collaborate to reduce popular stigma and empower patients by improving public understanding of gout and available treatments. As a Steering Committee Member, AAKP has partnered to collaborate on educational resources, materials and tools for both patients and medical professionals. To learn more about the Alliance visit www.goutalliance.org.

To learn more about helping AAKP further engage in gout solutions for kidney patients, and to receive the latest education and information to help understand and manage gout, sign-up at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AAKPGout or www.aakp.org/join. To support AAKP's educational programs, make a tax deductible donation at www.aakp.org or call (800) 749-2257.

CONTACT:
Deborah Pelaez
(800) 749-AAKP
[email protected]

SOURCE American Association of Kidney Patients

Related Links

http://www.aakp.org