Nephrology

Expert speaks on management of patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Treating systolic blood pressure of >120 mmHG reduces risk of acute decompensated heart failure.

An investigational regimen of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir has proven to perform well in patients with hepatitis C genotypes 1 to 6 without cirrhosis.

When patients with chronic kidney disease also have untreated hepatitis C, the prognosis is grim. The combination can lead to end-stage renal disease, a study found.

An investigational combination drug that targets all major genotypes of hepatitis C had a high success rate in a clinical trial of patients with severe chronic kidney disease, curing 98% of those who received 12 weeks of treatment.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was 72% more likely to develop in end-stage renal disease patients than in control subjects and 74% more likely to develop in peritoneal dialysis patients than in hemodialysis patients.

Roughly 20% of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) also suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD), though no clear explanation exists as to whether or not that is coincidental.

The approximately nine million patients with advanced chronic kidney disease, low vitamin D, and secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) can be treated with the first drug to be approved for the indication.

Maternal health just got that much more important as new research finds obesity contributes to chronic kidney disease risk in children.

Vitamin D has shown to play an important role in those with multiple sclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and even depression; now it looks like the same can be said about those with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Despite a considerable gap between the number of patients who require a transplant and the number of organs available those patients fortunate enough to receive the lifesaving organs are seeing greater success from the procedure.

With hundreds of thousands of people in the United States undergoing dialysis the field of nephrology is working hard to keep these patients as healthy as possible in hopes of getting them to the point of kidney transplant.

There is no shortage of people in need of a kidney transplant but a considerable shortage in the number of organs available to these patients. Despite that health care professionals in nephrology are determined to provide their patients the highest quality of life possible in spite of these challenges.

Older patients with heart and kidney failure can be helped with cardiac resynchronization therapy, a new study finds. But implanting devices to treat them is expensive, invasive, and not a full cure for many patients. Maybe it's better to ask these patients if they wouldn't rather die, two physicians argue.

As more is learned about the affect of newly developed PCSK9 medications cardiologists are looking at new patient populations and how to provide them the highest quality care.

In heart failure patients with diabetes and/or chronic kidney disease, a new, non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist called finerenone was no more effective than the currently approved MRA eplerenone in reducing the heart failure biomarker N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide. But it had other benefits.

Diabetes researchers looked at the impact of chronic kidney disease on the glucose-regulating drug empagliflozin.

Besides being the most common cause of chronic liver disease in industrialized nations, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has serious hepatic consequences. It is expected to be the most frequent indication for liver transplantation by 2030.

Mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is higher than in the general population, and whether mortality improves or alters with glycemic control is unknown.

Children who get lung transplants face a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease. New research looks at risk assessment and prevention.

The presence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke and thromboembolism (TE) as well as the risk of bleeding, thus complicating their treatment. In this context, it has been suggested that CKD should be included in the CHA2DS2-VASc (Congestive heart failure; Hypertension; Age ≥75 years; Diabetes mellitus; previous Stroke, transient ischemic attack, or thromboembolism; Vascular disease; Age 65 to 74 years; Sex category) score.

Lack of sleep and chronic kidney disease (CKD) independently lead to hypertension, diabetes mellitus, lower quality of life, and shorter life expectancy. Severity of CKD and sleep disturbances may also worsen diabetes and hypertension synergistically.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a strong warning on a drug used to treat iron deficiency anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease. Intravenous injections of ferumoxytol (Feraheme/Amag Pharmaceuticals) can cause serious allergic reactions including death in patients who are sensitive to the drug, the FDA cautioned in a new boxed warning. The drug was approved in 2009.

Chronic kidney disease developed in association with exposure to antiretrovirals in people with initially normal levels of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was not limited to increased incidence immediately after starting therapy but in fact increased over time and exposure.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) reported that one in 10 American adults had some level of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and that kidney disease is the 9th leading cause of death in the US.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved ferric pyrophosphate citrate (Triferic/Rockwell) for use as an iron replacement therapy in patients with end-stage renal disease, the company announced. It is also indicated for chronic kidney disease. The drug is for adults.

Kidney donors may have lower 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and phosphate levels. Their parathyroid hormone levels may be elevated, but with minimal effect on calcium levels.

Recent updates by the 8th Joint National Committee (JNC 8), the American and International Societies of Hypertension (ASH-ISH), and KDIGO recommend target blood pressure of less than 140/90 mm Hg for most individuals, including those with CKD.

Two major sets of hypertension guidelines released in 2014 contain more common threads than differences, and are intended to serve different purposes. Clinicians seeking guidance for managing hypertension in chronic kidney disease (CKD) can look for this common ground to avoid "guideline overload."

Guidelines for hypertension have converged on a blood pressure target of less than 140/90 mm Hg for most individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, studies still need to clarify optimal BPs for advanced disease and optimal cardiovascular prevention.