Science Centric
A new study suggests that monitoring levels of a hormone called fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) may provide information crucial to the treatment of patients with kidney failure. In the 7 August New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) report that patients with elevated levels of FGF-23 when beginning haemodialysis had a significantly increased risk of death within the first year of treatment, regardless of whether they had other risk factors. The study also found evidence that FGF-23 levels may differ between racial groups, which may relate to observed disparities in survival of dialysis patients.

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