I’m a healthcare professional

Paciente de pie y sonriendo con un médico varón.

Living with type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure?

You could have kidney disease without even knowing it. It takes 2 – you and a healthcare professional – to detect kidney disease and take steps to help reduce serious complications.

Request the test

Do I really need to test?

Ready to spot kidney disease?

First let’s learn kidney disease by the numbers

35 Million Adults Have Kidney Disease

adults in the U.S. have kidney disease

of people with kidney disease do not know they have it

Two Thirds of CKD Cases Are Caused by Type 2 Diabetes or high Blood Pressure

of kidney disease cases are caused by type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure

It Takes 2 – A New Spin on the ‘80’s Hit
for Kidney Health

Most people that have kidney disease don’t even know it. Rob Base may have said it best: “It takes two to make a
thing go right” – and that applies to your kidney health too. The musical artist rewrites his 1980’s hit song to bring
attention to the importance of early testing and treatment of CKD and remind at-risk patients that It Takes 2 – you
and a healthcare professional – to detect kidney disease and help reduce long-term complications.

It takes two to make a thing go right. It takes two to make it outta sight. I wanna talk right now. I’m Rob Base and I’m back to throw down. Now, I’m internationally known. Rocking wisdom from the microphone. These health conditions. Let’s put attention to this mission. You gotta just listen. People with no symptoms to show. Could have kidney disease – and not know. Follow the advice, don’t neglect it. Gotta make the effort to detect it ‘cause. It takes two to make a thing go right. It takes two to make it outta sight. It takes two to make a thing go right. It takes two to make it outta sight. I got a message that I wanna to share. Stop a minute, listen up, you gotta care. No matter what you gotta do what’s best. It all starts with an extra test, yea. If you think I’m wrong, you’re a doubter. Reach for that test ‘cause knowledge is power. Early detection is important. Gotta be smart let’s go and make sure everything’s all right. Cause it takes two to make it out of sight, come on. It takes two to make a thing go right. It takes two to make it outta sight.

Changing the Tune of Kidney
Disease Diagnosis

If you’re living with type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, kidney disease should be on your radar. Even if you’re not
experiencing symptoms, taking charge of your kidney health, being up front with your doctor about your concerns
and asking for the appropriate tests can help reduce the potential for serious complications down the road. Head
behind the scenes with Rob Base, Thelma, an advocate living with kidney disease, and Dr. Charles Vega, a primary
care physician, to learn why It Takes 2 to detect kidney disease.

Dr. Charles Vega: In the United States, there are two major risk factors for chronic kidney disease, and those are diabetes and hypertension. And those cases account for 75% of folks with chronic kidney disease in the United States. Still, about 90% of folks with chronic kidney disease in the U.S. don’t know they have it, so it really is the silent killer.Thelma: Once I found out, I was devastated. I went to about three nephrologists before I actually settled in on “this is my disease; this is my diagnosis. I have to live with it.”Dr. Charles Vega: Certainly, if you have diabetes and hypertension, you should have an annual check of your blood and urine. This is something you want to bring up to your clinician. And be frank, say, “I’m worried about kidney disease. Could you run a blood test? Could you run a urine test?” You know, Thelma knows those tests really, really well. And as well as any doctor I know.Thelma: I think that we have to be willing to advocate for ourselves, not be afraid to talk to your doctors. So many of us go to the doctors and we’re afraid to talk. We’re afraid to advocate for ourselves. You have to understand this is helping to save your life. Well, it does take two – you and your doctor – because it is a partnership. You know, your doctor is responsible to take care of you and you’re responsible to communicate to your doctor what’s actually going on with you.Rob Base: By spreading awareness through music is a great thing because you get to reach people that you wouldn’t normally reach. When I talk to a lot of people, I tell them what happened to my best friend, DJ E-Z Rock, you know, that he passed away from diabetes. So, you know, it’s just getting the message out there to everybody.Dr. Charles Vega: I think it’s something that resonates with a lot of folks who happen to be at risk for chronic kidney disease, maybe because they’re a little older now.Thelma: The theme is it takes you as a patient with your doctor, the doctor with the patient, it takes two to make it all right. And make it out of sight and dynamite with you, right?

Kidney disease impacts people
differently at different rates

Historically underrepresented communities are disproportionately burdened by kidney disease. These
communities are likely to have a greater incidence of risk factors for kidney disease and have disparities in
primary care.

As a result, when compared with white Americans:

Black Americans are 3x more likely to have kidney failure

Latin Americans are 1.3x more likely to have kidney failure

less likely icon

Black and Latin Americans are less likely to receive a kidney transplant

an elderly couple sitting at a desk talking to a doctor

Let’s talk testing

Regular testing for kidney disease is the best way to determine your kidney health and help reduce long-term complications.

Professional guidelines recommend that healthcare professionals screen for kidney disease using two tests: eGFR
and UACR. Together these tests paint a picture of your overall kidney health.

eGFR

The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is a blood test that measures how well kidneys filter the blood.
Both the eGFR and UACR tests are used to determine the stage of kidney disease and monitor kidney disease
progression.

UACR

Urine albumin-to-creatine ratio (UACR) is a urine test that measures the ratio of a protein in the blood to waste in
the urine.

Even though I'd been treated for type 2 diabetes for 10 years, I was already at late-stage kidney disease when I was diagnosed. I wish I knew about the connection between hypertension, type 2 diabetes and kidney disease sooner, and encourage others at-risk for this disease, like I was, to get tested.

Patrick

Living with CKD

High UACR + Low eGFR = lower kidney function

Together, these tests can help identify the stage as well as the risk of disease progression. Stage 1 is the mildest form while stage 5 is the highest risk, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant.

informational chart about the risk of the stages of chronic kidney disease

Testing can:

briefcase icon with a plus sign in the middle

Help inform you about your health

When you work with your healthcare professional to test for kidney disease early and often, you can unlock important information about your kidneys.

kidneys icon

Help identify kidney disease early

Most people with kidney disease do not have symptoms until their disease is advanced, when symptoms can be debilitating and dangerous.

hand holding a heart icon

Help kick-start a care plan

Diet, exercise and appropriate treatment can help delay kidney disease progression, kidney failure or death.

Did you know?

Less than 20% of people at risk for kidney disease received complete testing (defined as both eGFR and UACR) between 2013 and 2019. Let’s increase that number!

male patient and female doctor standing arms crossed and smiling at the camera

Together, you and your healthcare professional can completely screen for kidney disease with a simple urine test, alongside eGFR.

UACR is a common, simple and cost-effective urine test that detects protein in the urine to let you and your healthcare professional know more about your kidney health.

If you have type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, it should be a part of your regular screenings. Work with your healthcare professional to add UACR testing to your health plan.

I’m ready to request the test

Meet the dedicated advocates behind It
Takes 2

Our advocates bring a unique perspective to the kidney disease community and help elevate the voices of others
living with this chronic condition.

man standing at a podium smiling at the camera

Patrick

Shortly after graduating from American University School of Public Affairs with a Doctor of Philosophy in Justice, Law, & Criminology, Patrick was diagnosed with stage 3b end-stage kidney disease in 2013. After receiving a kidney transplant in 2017, Dr. Gee founded iAdvocate, Inc., a non-profit Faith-based Health & Wellness organization, where he works as their Chief Executive Hope Dealer. He now serves as a Patient Representative for the Diabetes Kidney Disease-Collaborative Task Force and uses his personal experiences to advocate for underserved communities of color to ensure they have a voice in their quality of life and receive equitable healthcare access.

two-time kidney transplant recipient smiling at the camera

Thelma

Thelma is a two-time kidney transplant recipient living with chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. Despite experiencing symptoms at just 12 years old, it took nearly a decade for Thelma to receive her IgA Nephropathy (Nephrotic Syndrome) and chronic kidney disease diagnoses in 1993 and 1998. Today, she is a passionate advocate for all people with kidney disease, especially Black Americans and those from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, fighting for equal access to quality healthcare and transplants for all with the National Kidney Foundation. Check her out in behind the scenes footage from It Takes 2 – The Remix!

kidney and liver transplant recipient smiling at the camera

David

David is a former dialysis patient and current kidney and liver transplant recipient. As a member of the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), he is currently an executive board member of the National Board of Directors, a National Ambassador for the state of Texas, a member of the Public Policy Committee, a consultant for the American Liver Foundation and an appointed member of the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) Patient and Family Advisory Committee. As a patient advocate, he has extensive experience working with various policymakers on both the federal and state level. Outside of his political advocacy work, David has participated in several industry-related projects to review clinical trial design and patient education content and helped raise awareness for kidney transplant options through a bilingual national speaker program.