By Molly Jett, WDRB
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A new way to measure kidney health is expected to save lives, particularly for Black Americans.
Chronic kidney disease is more common in Black Americans, and can be attributed to an old method of detection, according to Dr. La'Tonzia Adams.
Charles Clinton Adams served in the Vietnam War for the U.S. military and was a life-long firefighter in Gary, Indiana. He was a beloved member in the community and known for his dedication to his job.
"He was a great man," said Dr. La'Tonzia Adams, his daughter. "He worked a lot, he had strong work ethic. Just very caring, very giving. He loved his family."
But Adams' loving father began to struggle when she was a teenager. She found her father on the floor.
"He suffered a stroke. He had high blood pressure and diabetes," La'Tonzia said.
The firefighter recuperated from the stroke and went to therapy, but he wasn't the same.
"He started acting different, his behavior was a bit odd," La'Tonzia said. "He was tired. He had hiccups, that was a sign he was becoming toxic because his kidneys weren't functioning appropriately, but we didn't know that."
While in Chicago with his wife, Charles was taken to the emergency room in need of dialysis.
La'Tonzia offered to give her kidney to her father, but he was too sick for a transplant.
"It was very challenging to see your father who was this strong, strapping man slowly deteriorate," La'Tonzia said. "You couldn't do anything about it."
Charles died at 55 years old in 2001 after an infection.
Inspired by her father, La'Tonzia became a doctor and now lives in Portland, Oregon. She hopes others with kidney issues won't go through what her father did by detecting symptoms earlier.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 15% of US adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease. The CDC reports 9 in 10 adults with chronic kidney disease do not know they have the disease, while two in five adults with a severe form of the disease don't know they have it.
Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is a test that measure a person's level of kidney function. It determines a patient's stage of kidney disease. But the test on a scale of 0-100 was weighted differently for Black Americans.
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