AMKD Awareness Day 2026
April 30
What is AMKD Awareness Day?
The American Kidney Fund (AKF)’s AMKD Awareness Day aims to spread awareness of APOL1-mediated kidney disease (AMKD), a spectrum of kidney diseases associated with mutations in the apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene and linked to an increased risk for rapidly progressing kidney disease in people of Western and Central African descent.
Everyone has two copies of the APOL1 gene, but people who have Western and Central African ancestry, including people who identify as Black, African American, Afro-Caribbean, and/or Latina/Latino, are at an increased risk of having a mutation in one or both of the genes. These mutations put people at a higher risk of developing kidney disease such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
It is estimated that 13% of Black Americans have mutations in both genes, the high-risk APOL1 genotypes. People who have both mutations of the APOL1 gene have a 1 in 5 chance of developing kidney disease and are more likely to develop kidney failure.
When is AMKD Awareness Day 2026?
Coinciding with National Minority Health Month, AMKD Awareness Day will be recognized on the last Tuesday of April annually. AKF will provide resources and ways to engage and raise awareness of the important connection between APOL1 gene variants and kidney disease.
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