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Prevention of Kidney Stones Vital for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

2024-03-28T21:04:50-04:00March 17th, 2016|Categories: Early Intervention, eNews, Lifestyle, What Causes Kidney Disease|Tags: , |

Some people who repeatedly develop kidney stones may also have high levels of calcium deposits in their blood vessels. A study recently published by the American Society of Nephrology suggests that this could explain their increased risk for cardiovascular disease. "It's becoming clear that having kidney stones is a bit like having raised blood pressure, raised cholesterol, or diabetes in that it is another sign of, or risk factor for, cardiovascular disease and its consequences," said study co-author Robert Unwin of University College London. The main message "is to begin to take having kidney stones seriously in relation to cardiovascular disease [...]

Utilizing Public Resources to Prevent Kidney Disease

2024-03-28T21:04:51-04:00March 17th, 2016|Categories: Early Intervention, eNews, Pediatric Kidney Disease, What Causes Kidney Disease|Tags: |

People living with diabetes know that diabetes might affect their eyes, feet and heart. But, many do not realize that they also have to think about their kidneys. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease, followed by high blood pressure. The National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP), an initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has a number of helpful resources and materials to educate people at risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD). These materials help people and their loved ones understand the connection between diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease. For people with diabetes or [...]

What’s New in Kidney Transplantation

2024-03-28T21:04:52-04:00March 17th, 2016|Categories: eNews, Kidney Transplant|

The current system for how organs are distributed is 20 years old. Meanwhile, waiting times have dramatically increased due to the number of people needing kidney transplants.  Several changes were recently recommended to the system, including efforts to match people with transplants so they last for a longer period of time as well as a new focus on providing hard to match people with more of an opportunity for a kidney transplant than in the past. The KDPI- Kidney Donor Profile Index determines how a kidney will be classified based on the criteria of how long the transplanted kidney is likely [...]

Join Us for a Webinar on Slowing the Progression of Kidney Disease!

2024-03-28T21:04:53-04:00March 17th, 2016|Categories: Early Intervention, eNews, Webinar, What Is Kidney Disease|

March is National Kidney Month, and March 12th is World Kidney Day. With 26 million American adults suffering from kidney disease, it is critical to spread awareness about the disease. Join us Monday, March 9th to hear from a nephrology nurse on how to slow the progression of kidney disease. Our webinar and conference call will take place at 3pm ET and is open to everyone. Please share this information with your facilities, friends and family that may be at risk for kidney disease. To join the call, dial (877) 399-5186 and enter code 433-459-5474. To watch the webinar and follow [...]

Generic Version of Transplant Drug Found to Perform as well as Brand

2024-03-28T21:04:55-04:00March 17th, 2016|Categories: eNews, Kidney Transplant, Medication|

A recent study conducted by the University of Cincinnati found that patient outcomes were almost identical for generic and brand-name versions of tacrolimus, a drug used post-transplant to reduce the risk of organ rejection. With more affordable generics now on the market, the study took a closer look at the outcomes of what have often been referred to as narrow therapeutic index medications. The study’s lead investigator Rita Alloway, PharmD (a research professor of medicine and director of transplant clinical research at University of Cincinnati’s Department of Internal Medicine) presented the study findings at the 2015 American Transplant Congress. The Food [...]

Kidneys That Suffered Acute Injuries May Be Good Candidates for Transplantation

2024-03-28T21:04:55-04:00March 17th, 2016|Categories: eNews, Kidney Transplant, What Causes Kidney Disease|Tags: , |

Studies show that kidneys from deceased donors who had acute injuries (defined as injuries with blood loss that affect the kidney, often sustained in car accidents) are frequently discarded, but could be transplanted with better results than transplants with delayed graft function. (Delayed graft function occurs when a transplanted kidney does not immediately start to function properly and may require some dialysis for a period of time.) Yale Director of Applied Translational Research Dr. Chirag Parikh and colleagues tracked kidneys from 1,632 deceased donors and, as expected, found that kidneys from patients with acute kidney injury were discarded more often. The [...]

Confronting Kidney Health Disparities during Black History Month

2024-03-28T21:04:59-04:00March 17th, 2016|Categories: eNews, Kidney Transplant, What Causes Kidney Disease|Tags: , , |

While black history is American history and cannot be adequately covered in a single month, we take Black History Month as an opportunity to confront kidney health disparities. Unfortunately, African American adults are 3.5 times more likely to have kidney failure. The major risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) include high blood pressure, obesity, family history and diabetes. These risk factors also disproportionately affect African American communities. The relative socioeconomic status of these communities, in addition to their relative lack of access to medical care and a genetic predisposition toward kidney disease, makes the risk for kidney disease higher.  Compared to [...]

A Brief History of Dialysis

2024-03-28T21:05:03-04:00March 10th, 2016|Categories: Dialysis, eNews, News & Events, Treatment, What Is Kidney Disease|

The history of dialysis dates back to the 1940s. The first type of dialyzer, then called the artificial kidney, was built in 1943 by Dutch physician Willem Kolff. Kolff had first gotten the idea of developing a machine to clean the blood after watching a patient suffer from kidney failure. When his invention was completed, he attempted to treat over a dozen patients with acute kidney failure over the next two years. Although only one treatment turned out successful, he continued to experiment in improving his design. Kolff came to the United States in the late 1940s and went to work [...]

Government Involvement in Dialysis

2024-03-28T21:05:04-04:00March 10th, 2016|Categories: Dialysis, eNews|

Although the development of dialysis dates back to the 1940s, the government didn’t become more involved in the payment for treatment until the 1960s. The first significant government response to dialysis first came in 1963, when Veteran’s Affairs outlined plans to build 30 dialysis unit in VA hospitals around the United States. These units were designed for veterans who were eligible for treatment. Throughout 1964 and 1965, Congress established multiple programs to help provide funding for research in dialysis, including the Artificial Kidney-Chronic Uremia Program and Transplant Immunology Program in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. By the mid-1960s, [...]

It’s Time to Open Medicare Advantage Enrollment to Dialysis Patients

2024-03-28T21:05:04-04:00March 10th, 2016|Categories: Costs for Treatment, eNews, Fact Sheet|

In the wake of recent action by CMS to maintain Medicare Advantage funding, the time is ripe to follow up on a recommendation made by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission 14 years ago: repeal the law prohibiting dialysis patients from enrolling in Medicare Advantage. The exclusion of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients from Part C deprives them of the opportunity to access two important benefits: care coordination by a single, accountable entity; and maximum out-of-pocket limitations. ESRD Patients Lack Access to Care Coordination, Resulting in Avoidable Complications As AHIP noted in a 2010 white paper, “health plans provide a life line” [...]

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