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Kidney Failure Patients Prone to GI Tract Bleeding

Posted 19 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Jan. 19 – Many kidney failure patients experience bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, a problem that can cause serious health problems and even early death, a new study shows. The researchers said their findings show that more needs to be done to prevent and treat upper GI bleeding – which occurs in the esophagus, stomach or first part of the intestine – in kidney failure patients. They noted that kidney failure patients on dialysis are particularly prone to upper GI bleeding. For this study, the researchers examined data from nearly 1 million patients in the U.S. Renal Data System, which collects information on most of the dialysis patients in the country. The analysis revealed that rates for upper GI bleeding were either 57 or 328 episodes per 1,000 kidney failure patients per year, according to stringent and lenient definitions of what qualifies as upper ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure

Research Reveals Why Blacks More Prone to Kidney Failure

Posted 1 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Sept. 1 – Black Americans are more likely than whites to have a condition in which the kidneys spill protein into the urine, which may help explain why blacks are four times more likely than whites to develop kidney failure, a new study suggests. Emory University researchers analyzed data from about 28,00 people (40.5 percent blacks, 59.5 percent whites) in the United States and found that 133 of them developed kidney failure after an average follow-up of 3.6 years. There were 96 cases of kidney failure among blacks and 37 cases among whites. Kidney failure was more common among people who excreted large amounts of protein in their urine, and blacks were more likely than whites to have this problem. The researchers suggested a number of reasons why blacks are more likely to excrete more protein in their urine, including: blood pressure and other heart-related issues; smoking, ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure, Chronic Kidney Disease

Lab-Grown Blood Vessels Seem to Help Dialysis Patients

Posted 27 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, June 27 – In early research, blood vessels originating from a donor's skin cells and grown in a laboratory have been successfully implanted in three dialysis patients. These engineered grafts have functioned well for about 8 months, say researchers reporting Monday at a special online conference sponsored by the American Heart Association. The three patients – all of whom lived in Poland and were on dialysis for end-stage kidney disease – received the new vessels to allow better access for dialysis. But the hope is that these types of bioengineered, "off-the-shelf" tissues can someday be used as replacement arteries throughout the body, including heart bypass. "The grafts available now perform quite poorly," said lead researcher Todd N. McAllister, co-founder and chief executive officer of Cytograft Tissue Engineering Inc., the Novato, Calif.-based maker of the grafts and the ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure, Hemodialysis, Peritoneal dialysis

Higher Death Rates Seen in Central Line Dialysis Patients: Study

Posted 23 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, April 21 – Doctors should avoid delivering hemodialysis to kidney failure patients through a central line catheter because that method is associated with a higher risk of death shortly after beginning dialysis, a new study contends. Researchers examined the medical records of more than 38,500 Canadian patients who began dialysis from 2001-08. Patients who received hemodialysis through a central line catheter into a large vein had an 80 percent higher risk of death in the first year after starting dialysis than patients who received: Peritoneal dialysis (through a tube into the abdomen). Dialysis through an arteriovenous fistula (in which a surgeon connects an artery directly to a vein). Dialysis through an arteriovenous graft (in which a surgeon connects an artery to a vein with a synthetic tube, or graft, implanted under the skin in one arm). Both the surgically created ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure

New Tests Could Spot Which Kidney Patients Will Do the Worst

Posted 11 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, April 11 – Researchers have come up with two new tests that seem better able to predict which patients with chronic kidney disease are more likely to progress to kidney failure and death. This could help streamline care, getting those patients who need it most the care they need, while perhaps sparing other patients unnecessary interventions. "The new markers provide us with an opportunity to address kidney disease prior to its terminal stage," said Dr. Ernesto P. Molmenti, vice chairman of surgery and director of the transplant program at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Manhasset, N.Y. "Such early treatment could provide for increased survival, as well as enhanced quality of life." "The main problem right now is the tests we use currently just are not very good at identifying people's progressing to either more advanced kidney disease or end-stage kidney ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure, Chronic Kidney Disease

Home Dialysis for Kidney Patients May Ease Restless Legs Syndrome

Posted 21 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 18 – Short, daily sessions of hemodialysis at home may reduce sleep problems caused by restless legs syndrome in dialysis patients, according to new research. The study – sponsored and funded by NxStage Medical Inc., which makes home dialysis products – is published online March 17 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Dialysis patients are about four times more likely than people in the general population to experience restless legs syndrome (RLS), which causes abnormal sensations such as pins and needles or creepy-crawly feelings in the legs while at rest. Restless legs syndrome can interfere with sleep. This study included 235 patients who performed dialysis at home for a few hours six days a week, as an alternative to center-based treatment. This led to significant improvement in restless legs symptoms, according to the researchers. "Over 12 ... Read more

Related support groups: Restless Legs Syndrome, Renal Failure

Depression Seems to Increase Risk of Kidney Failure: Study

Posted 10 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, March 10 – Depression appears to increase the risk of kidney failure, according to a new study. Depression was linked to a higher rate of hospitalization for acute kidney injury (formerly known as acute kidney failure), even after adjusting for heart disease, inflammatory markers, and lifestyle factors such as body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity, according to the investigators. The study, led by Dr. Willem Kop of the Department of Medical Psychology and Neuropsychology at the University of Tilburg, the Netherlands, included 5,785 people in the United States who were followed for 10 years. At the start of the study, the participants were 65 years and older and were not on kidney dialysis. The researchers found that depression was also associated with a higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) at baseline. It was 20 percent more ... Read more

Related support groups: Depression, Renal Failure

Kidney Patients Ask for More Information on Options

Posted 18 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Feb. 17 – Many kidney failure patients want more detailed information about their treatment choices, according to a new study. More than 30 percent of the 1,000 U.S. patients who took part in an Internet survey said they felt that the different therapies – in-center hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, home hemodialysis and kidney transplantation – were not "equally or fairly presented to them." Nearly 70 percent of the respondents told the researchers that they were not provided with specific education and training about home hemodialysis, a relatively new option that may offer some advantages – including ease of treatment – over in-center dialysis. Overall, the participants were moderately to highly satisfied with their current treatment, but satisfaction was highest among transplant patients and home dialysis patients, and lowest among in-center dialysis patients. ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure, Chronic Kidney Disease

Marital Status May Affect Kidney Transplant Decision

Posted 8 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 8 – Kidney failure patients who are married are more likely to receive a new kidney than those who are widows or widowers or have never married, finds a new study. Kidney transplant is the treatment of choice for patients with end-stage kidney failure. Previous research has shown that males, whites and those with higher incomes and better education are more likely than others to receive kidney transplants in the United States. In this new study, researchers analyzed 3,650 patient records in the United States Renal Data System and found that those who were currently married or separated/divorced were more likely to be placed on a kidney transplant waiting list than widows and widowers and those who were never married. Once on the transplant list, married patients were more likely to receive a new kidney. The study was recently published in the American Journal of ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure, Renal Transplant

Doubling Frequency of Dialysis May Help Kidney Failure Patients

Posted 22 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, Nov. 20 – Kidney failure patients who double the number of weekly dialysis treatments typically prescribed had significantly better heart function, overall health and general quality of life, new research indicates. The finding stems from an analysis that compared the impact of the 40-year-old standard of care – three dialysis treatments per week, for three to four hours per session – with a six-day a week treatment regimen involving sessions of 2.5 to three hours per session. Launched in 2006, the comparison involved 245 dialysis patients assigned to either a standard dialysis schedule or the high-frequency option. All participants underwent MRIs to assess heart muscle structure, and all completed quality-of-life surveys. In addition to improved cardiovascular health and overall health, the analysis further revealed that two concerns faced by most kidney failure patients ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure

Study Warns of Risks for Early Dialysis

Posted 8 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Nov. 8 – Putting people on dialysis early, while their kidneys still have adequate function, may increase the chances that they'll die in the year after the procedure is started, a new study suggests. Dialysis, which mechanically filters the blood, helps people with advanced kidney disease live longer, control their illness and improve their quality of life, the researchers say. "The question this research addresses is what is going on with regard to patients being put on dialysis at higher and higher levels of kidney function," said the lead researcher, Dr. Steven J. Rosansky, senior research fellow at the Dorn Research Institute of the William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia, S.C., and an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina. The assumption is that people are put on dialysis because they have no kidney function, but that's not the case, ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure

Kidney Function May Be Tied to Bone Loss

Posted 4 Feb 2010 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 3 – Even a slight loss of kidney function is associated with increased loss of bone mineral density and greater risk of disabling fractures that can lead to premature death, researchers say. "Our findings highlight the importance of estimating kidney function when evaluating patients for fracture risk," Dr. Sophie A. Jamal, of the University of Toronto, and colleagues reported in the February issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. The Canadian researchers followed 191 men and 444 women, aged 50 and older, for five years. They assessed participants' kidney function and bone mineral density at the start and end of the study. People with impaired kidney function lost bone mineral density faster than those with healthy kidneys. For example, study participants with the worst kidney function had a 9.3 percent greater decrease in lower spine bone mineral density ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure

Protein Levels in Urine Help Predict Kidney Function

Posted 2 Feb 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 2 – High protein levels in urine can signal trouble for people who are at risk for kidney failure and associated problems, a new study suggests. The researchers reporting the findings in the Feb. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association are recommending that a test for protein levels in urine (proteinuria) be incorporated into upcoming new guidelines. "Right now, the guidelines say you should use a blood test called serum creatinine [which measures a waste product processed by the kidneys] to give you an estimate of how well the kidneys are working," said study author Dr. Brenda R. Hemmelgarn, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. "We found that including another marker of kidney health – the level of protein in the urine – helps to better predict risk than that single measure." "I think it's very likely to ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure

For Some Kidney Patients, Home Dialysis Is Better

Posted 25 Jul 2009 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, July 25 – More than 340,000 Americans are on dialysis to treat kidney failure, but only a tiny fraction are taking advantage of a treatment option that may improve their quality of life. Studies suggest that home hemodialysis administered overnight, otherwise known as "nocturnal dialysis," may be a better way to go for some patients. The key advantage is it allows for many more hours of blood-cleansing therapy than a kidney patient would typically receive in a conventional, three-times-a-week dialysis center-based program. "If I had kidney failure, and I think this applies to at least a number of physicians who know what all this is about, what we would do is we would do overnight dialysis six nights a week," said Dr. Christopher R. Blagg, professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Washington and executive director emeritus of Northwest Kidney Centers in Seattle. ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure, Hemodialysis

Sleeping Through Dialysis May Be the Way to Go

Posted 21 May 2009 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, May 21 – Nighttime dialysis, done while people are asleep, not only frees up time during their days but is probably better for their health as well, a new study suggests. Although lifesaving, dialysis is time-consuming and often inconvenient for those who need it. Nighttime dialysis, a newer option, actually takes longer but is done while a person sleeps. "The concept is simple," explained Dr. Robert Provenzano, chief of nephrology at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit. "Since normally our kidneys work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the more time you spend with your blood being cleaned, the better it is for you metabolically." "The current study is a small study, but it does show that these patients do have cleaner blood and their blood counts are better," Provenzano said. "It's consistent and supportive of U.S. studies that have shown the same or improved ... Read more

Related support groups: Renal Failure, Peritoneal dialysis

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