Governor Proclaims APOL1-Mediated Kidney Disease Awareness Day 2024

APOL1-MEDIATED KIDNEY DISEASE AWARENESS DAY

2024

BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, kidney disease affects an estimated 37 million Americans, and more than 550,000 are on dialysis; and

WHEREAS, the health disparities in kidney failure are unsustainable; Black people with kidney disease are more likely to develop kidney failure than any other racial/ethnic group, making up 13 percent of the U.S. population but accounting for 35 percent of those with kidney failure; and

WHEREAS, kidney failure places enormous physical, emotional, and financial burdens on individuals and costs the Medicare program over $50 billion annually; and

WHEREAS, genetic factors can increase an individual's risk for kidney disease, and one such genetic factor is having variants (mutations) in the apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene; and

WHEREAS, people are more likely to have APOL1 gene variants if they are from Western or Central Africa or have an ancestor who came from these regions, and these variants can increase susceptibility for APOL1-Mediated Kidney Disease (AMKD), a rapidly progressive form of kidney disease that can lead to kidney failure; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated that if a patient has variants in both copies of the APOL1 gene, there is a 1 in 5 chance they will develop kidney disease; an estimated 13 percent of Black Americans have variants in both copies of the APOL1 gene; and

WHEREAS, a person with AMKD may not have any symptoms of kidney disease until their kidneys are close to failing, though genetic testing can reveal an individual's risk for AMKD, empowering them to take the steps necessary to protect their kidney health before it is too late; and

WHEREAS, individuals who are found to have APOL1 genetic variants can reduce their risk for kidney failure by meeting with their doctor regularly, eating a healthy diet, taking all medications as prescribed, exercising for at least 30 minutes a day, and not smoking or using tobacco; and

WHEREAS, there are currently no Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments available for APOL1-mediated kidney disease, but clinical trials could provide an opportunity for researchers to develop and test safe treatments for APOL1-mediated kidney disease;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim April 30, 2024, as “APOL1-MEDIATED KIDNEY DISEASE AWARENESS DAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.

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Roy Cooper

Governor

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this twenty-sixth day of April in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.