Redefining Health for our Community: Let’s Talk
Hypertension and Kidney Care
Sponsored By
Astrazeneca
Kemi Williams led a conversation designed to raise awareness of options available to those living with hypertension and kidney disease at the Black Health Matters Summit in Charlotte, North Carolina. The conversation included kidney care patient Sandra L. Washington and Marvin Sinsakul MD, MBA, FASN, Senior Global Development Medical Director – AstraZeneca.
According to the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, “hypertension can lead to worsening kidney function and progressive decline in kidney function, can conversely lead to worsening blood pressure (BP) control.”
Washington shared her experience being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Her journey began with a series of incessant phone calls. “It was my endocrinologist. She had recently ordered some lab work for me, and when she got the numbers, she became alarmed,” said Washington.
That doctor’s visit became the ringtone that would never end. “My phone was blowing up 20 times. I was like, she must want something,” she continued. What the endocrinologist wanted was to share that she was being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Instances of chronic kidney disease are more severe in the Black community as well. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, “Black people make up about 13% of the total population but account for 30% of the people with ESKD (End-stage Kidney Disease) in the United States.”
The diagnosis threw her. “I was lost,” she admitted. Dealing with a severe chronic illness did not fit with her lifestyle. She took care of everyone around her and, she did not expect to need specific and consistent care herself. “I was so used to going to battle for them with their issues that I had lost track of what was really happening in my mind,” she said.
Washington cited the gap between the information offered to patients and the information needed to manage their conditions. “When you give a patient an acronym. We don’t know what that is. You’re telling me I got CKD. I’m like okay whatever,” she said.
Diabetes complicated Washington’s journey with chronic kidney disease. “Some of those symptoms I was having. I was having them because I was diabetic,” she told the crowd gathered to learn from her experiences. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease” and “about 1 out of 3 adults with diabetes has kidney disease.”
Washington was unaware of evidence of how genetics might have impacted her medical outcomes. “I didn’t know about the genetic part until my mom was transitioning over,” she said. She and her mother lived in different cities and did not frequently discuss any overlaps in their medical histories.
Dr. Sinsakul revealed that AstraZeneca is working to facilitate these conversations in families.
“We hope that we can provide us deeper understanding in the link between hypertension and chronic kidney disease [and] hope that we can also highlight the impact of this diagnosis on a patient and also emphasize the critical importance of knowing your family’s medical history,” he said.
See three methods for taking action to preserve your kidney health below.
Take Action:
- Get Specific Dietary Advice
Washington found herself forced to adjust the healthy eating habits she adopted to manage her diabetes. “Everything that I was eating, I thought was healthy for me,” she said.
“Because as a diabetic, I’m told monitor this, monitor that, monitor, you know, everything! So here I am going about life thinking that, well, my diet is helping me when, in actuality, it was literally hurting me,” she continued.
“Once I found out I had CKD I actually started seeing a nutritional doctor as well. I was told no pineapples,” she said.
Pineapples were a huge part of her plan for leaning on smoothies to get her nutrients.
“I’ve been drinking a pina colada smoothie every morning,” she said. “I was eating bananas to keep from taking them, big, old potassium, cap pill[s] that they give you.” Potassium capsules can be large and chalky, making certain versions tough to swallow. They have been seen to improve outcomes in certain diabetic and prediabetic patients according to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The news blew her away with disappointment. She was trying her best but due to a lack of information that best was not good enough to keep her levels where they should be.
“My favorite snack, at the time, was popcorn,” she continued. When the doctor told her “you can’t have popcorn,” she was floored.
This shocked her partner as well. “My husband’s mouth dropped,” she added.
“I was like, but that’s my favorite snack and I was told no popcorn because the minute and I’m not sure how many of us realize this popcorn turns to sugar the minute you put it in your system.
So while you’re thinking it’s healthy, it’s not. So, I actually had to learn how to eat better. I had to incorporate an exercise routine where I was doing more than being a couch potato. Those are the things that I had to do.”
Washington recommended those listening to the conversation find their own method to developing a diet plan that is right for them. “Every person’s body is different. The point is, you need to see a doctor,” she said.
- Share Information With Your Family
Williams cited the importance of family history in empowering a patient. “You can imagine if Sandra knew maybe years ago, that maybe there was a genetic disposition within the family to getting chronic kidney disease. Maybe there, she would have taken certain actions,” she said.
“It’s very important. The information we pass on to our children, right? To our grandchildren, can actually inform and empower them to make the right decision around their health care.”
- Educate Yourself in Clinical Trials
Dr. Sinsakul shared how committed his firm is to prioritizing welcoming different types of patients into their clinical research. “We do have a core value where we state that we put patients first,” he said.
“One of the ways we do that is demonstrated by the actions we are taking and our commitments around medication community engagement and clinical trial diversity.”
