A senate RESOLUTION

 

TO RECOGNIZE march 2026 AS "chronic kidney disease awareness MONTH" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

 

Whereas, more than one in seven individuals in the United States, approximately thirty-seven million Americans, are estimated to have chronic kidney disease, and approximately ninety percent of the individuals are unaware that they have the disease; and

 

Whereas, while the two most common causes of kidney disease are hypertension and heart disease, the third leading cause of kidney disease is glomerulonephritis, often caused by rare, immune-mediated kidney diseases such as IgA nephropathy and Apolipoprotein L1 mediated kidney disease gene; and

 

Whereas, patients with glomerular diseases frequently advance to more costly and more debilitating later stages of kidney disease, including end-stage renal disease, more quickly than patients with chronic kidney disease in general, with estimates suggesting that rare kidney diseases make up five to ten percent of chronic kidney disease patients but account for approximately twenty-five percent of patients receiving treatment for kidney failure; and

 

Whereas, ninety percent of patients with chronic kidney disease stages one through three are undiagnosed. When kidney disease is diagnosed in late stages of the disease, irreversible damage to the kidneys has already occurred; and

 

Whereas, it is imperative to improve diagnosis and treatment of chronic kidney disease through community-based programs that address awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic kidney disease; and

 

Whereas, recognizing Chronic Kidney Disease Awareness Month raises awareness of the need for research, screening programs, and access to care for people who suffer from chronic kidney disease.  Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the Senate:

 

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, recognize March 2026 as "Chronic Kidney Disease Awareness Month" in South Carolina.

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