Kidney Friends

April 1, 2009 (Nashville, Tennessee) — Lanthanum carbonate reduced mortality in patients with stage?5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) and had no negative effect on vitamin?D levels in patients with stage?3 or 4 CKD, according to studies presented here at the National Kidney Foundation 2009 Spring Clinical Meetings.

Prospective-outcomes studies of lanthanum carbonate in stage?5 CKD patients have not yet been conducted, but investigators performed a post hoc analysis of an earlier safety study under guidance from regulatory authorities.

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April 1, 2009 (Nashville, Tennessee) — A structured chronic kidney disease (CKD) program prior to beginning dialysis leads to better patient outcomes while on dialysis, according to a study presented here at the National Kidney Foundation 2009 Spring Clinical Meetings.

The retrospective study identified 172 patients from a CKD clinic run by St. John Hospital and Medical Center, in Detroit, Michigan, who subsequently developed end-stage renal disease and enrolled in a dialysis program, said lead author Joel M. Topf, MD. Entry criteria were no previous or intervening dialysis.

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March 30, 2009 (Nashville, Tennessee) — Add chronic kidney disease (CKD) to the list of diseases accelerated by hepatitis?C virus (HCV) comorbidity, according to a study presented here at the National Kidney Foundation 2009 Spring Clinical Meetings.

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February 27, 2009 — Serum cystatin C level and chronic kidney disease may have a link to incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that is independent of smoking and other risk factors, according to a population-based cohort study reported in the February issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

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February 16, 2009 — Screening for albuminuria may help identify patients at increased risk for progressive renal disease, according to the results of a population-based cohort study reported in the February 11 Online First issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

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March 19, 2009 — Proteinuria in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with level of kidney impairment (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] as measured by iohexol disappearance), cause of CKD, and race, according to the results of the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) cohort study reported in the March 18 Online First issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

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Maintaining sufficient red blood cell levels is important to the physical and mental health of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study appearing in the January 2009 issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The findings indicate that preventing anemia in kidney disease patients should be an integral part of their care.

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A study has found that Indigenous Australians with kidney disease are confused, poorly informed and frustrated about their illness.

Researchers from the George Institute for International Health and the Menzies School of Research interviewed 146 Indigenous and 95 non-indigenous patients with serious or end-stage kidney disease.

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A diet high in salt can add to the risk of kidney stones.

Recently, thousands of babies and children in China who drank milk tainted with melamine were sickened, and many developed painful kidney stones.

While these cases were due to the melamine–an toxic chemical used to thin out milk–doctors here say they are seeing a rise in the number of children suffering from kidney stones, once a condition mostly associated with middle age, according to the New York Times.

And what is one of the major causes? Salt.

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DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My wife is 63, not overweight and not diabetic. She was recently diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, CKD. Her glomerular filtration rate is 49. Her doctor indicated she should limit sugar, lower her LDL cholesterol and keep her blood pressure down.

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