National Kidney Foundation and American Heart Association Join Forces against Epidemic High Blood Pressure

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Apr 19, 2016, 01:31 ET

NEW YORK, April 19, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA) announced a milestone collaboration to counter the epidemic of cardiovascular and kidney disease in the U.S. This partnership represents a major joint effort between these two longstanding health organizations to combat this public health problem.

NKF and AHA will launch their partnership in a joint hypertension awareness campaign called "The Domino Effect" on April 25th. Kicking off with a media tour the campaign will alert Americans to the hazards of uncontrolled high blood pressure and the major risk factor for stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney disease. This campaign underscores that complications associated with these conditions can be curbed or stopped through early detection and prevention.

"High blood pressure is a silent risk factor for kidney disease and cardiovascular events. Improved treatment of high blood pressure can prevent stroke, kidney disease and heart disease," said Joseph Vassalotti, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the National Kidney Foundation. "Working side-by-side with AHA, we will pool our resources to raise the volume on this important message to improve heart and kidney health in our communities."

NKF will also join AHA's Check. Change. Control.™ Leadership Community . The goal of the program is to help 13.6 million more Americans take control of their high blood pressure by 2020. "The Domino Effect" campaign partnership will coordinate and maximize both organizations' resources in highly visible national public awareness programs and educational initiatives.

"Bringing together the knowledge and resources of these two prominent, long-standing health organizations, marks an important step in our continued work to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and stroke," said Pablo A. Ortiz, Ph.D., Head of the Hypertension and Vascular Research Division at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, and Chair of the American Heart Association Council on Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease.

"AHA and NKF share common priorities and interests to reduce cardiovascular-related disability and death through research, communication, advocacy and education."

Kidney Facts:
One in three of us are at risk for kidney disease; one in nine of us have it; and only 10 percent know they have the condition. The rest will not know it until their kidneys fail and dialysis or a kidney transplant is needed to survive. These are the devastating statistics for kidney disease in the United States and the heart of the National Kidney Foundation's mission.

Heart Disease and Stroke Facts:
One in three American adults have high blood pressure. One in 3 deaths in the U.S. are caused by cardiovascular disease. An increase of just 10 percent in hypertension treatment would prevent about 14,000 deaths every year.

The National Kidney Foundation is the leading organization in the U.S. dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease. For more information, visit www.kidney.org.

The American Heart Association is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and stroke. For more information, visit www.heart.org.

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SOURCE National Kidney Foundation