00Enrolled SR 3                                                                                                           
01 Recognizing March 2024 as Chronic Kidney Disease Awareness Month in Alaska to raise                                     
02 awareness of the need for research, screening programs, and access to care for individuals                              
03 who suffer from chronic kidney disease.                                                                                 
04                                        _______________                                                                  
05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE:                                                                                         
06      WHEREAS the month of March is recognized as National Kidney Month, making                                          
07 March an important time for raising public awareness and understanding about chronic kidney                             
08 and rare kidney diseases; and                                                                                           
09      WHEREAS more than one in seven individuals, comprising 15 percent of adults in                                     
10 the United States and 37,000,000 people in total, are estimated to have chronic kidney disease                          
11 (CKD), and as many as nine in 10 adults with CKD do not know they have CKD; and                                         
12      WHEREAS kidney disease disproportionately affects communities of color; non-                                       
13 Hispanic African Americans are almost four times more likely and Hispanic Americans are                                 
14 1.3 times more likely to experience kidney failure in comparison to non-Hispanic white                                  
15 Americans; and                                                                                                          
16      WHEREAS CKD, when diagnosed, is often diagnosed in late stages of the disease                                      

01 when irreversible damage to the kidneys has already occurred; and                                                       
02      WHEREAS 15 percent of people diagnosed with CKD are unaware of the cause of                                        
03 their disease; and                                                                                                      
04      WHEREAS recent scientific advancements have shown that some of the health                                          
05 disparities in CKD have a genetic basis; and                                                                            
06      WHEREAS this genetic risk factor for CKD was discovered in 2010 when scientists                                    
07 learned that people who inherit two variants of the Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene are at                               
08 significantly increased risk of developing kidney disease; and                                                          
09      WHEREAS, while everyone has the APOL1 gene, only people with African ancestry                                      
10 inherit certain genetic variants; and                                                                                   
11      WHEREAS 13 percent of African Americans carry two APOL1 risk variants, and                                         
12 estimates suggest that up to one in five people with two APOL1 risk variants will develop                               
13 CKD; and                                                                                                                
14      WHEREAS APOL1-mediated kidney disease causes high levels of protein in the                                         
15 urine, or proteinuria, and can lead to various symptoms, including swelling in the legs and                             
16 feet, fatigue, and weight gain; and                                                                                     
17      WHEREAS research has also shown that the course of CKD progresses more rapidly                                     
18 in individuals with two APOL1 risk variants than in individuals without two risk variants; and                          
19      WHEREAS CKD may eventually lead to kidney failure, requiring dialysis or a                                         
20 kidney transplant; and                                                                                                  
21      WHEREAS there are simple tests to diagnose CKD, including blood and urine tests,                                   
22 and the presence of APOL1 risk variants can now be identified with a genetic test; and                                  
23      WHEREAS it is imperative to improve diagnosis and treatment of CKD through                                         
24 community-based programs that address racial disparities in the awareness, diagnosis, and                               
25 treatment of CKD;                                                                                                       
26      BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate, to raise awareness of the need for research,                                       
27 screening programs, and access to care for individuals who suffer from CKD, recognizes                                  
28 March 2024 as Chronic Kidney Disease Awareness Month in the state; and be it                                            
29      FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate directs the senate secretary to make copies                                       
30 of this resolution available to the public and the press.