Sunday, May 25, 2008

Latest Kidney Articles

Risk Factors For Kidney Cancer

... disease of tumors, which cause complications in the nervous system. It causes continuous growth of tumors in the brain; causing problems with common things like walking, vision loss and retinal problems. It also causes tumors in the kidneys and pancreas. Von Hippel Lindau disease in very rare and is found ...


Treatment Options For Kidney Stones Ureteroscopic Stone Removal

... bladder into the ureter to snare the stone. In some cases, the surgeon will shatter the stone using ultrasound, laser, or a technique called electrohydraulic lithotripsy. To relieve swelling and help with healing, the surgeon may then place a small tube (stent) in the ureter for two to three days. Mayo ...


Renal Failure In Dogs

... body's wastes are not being effectively eliminated. When is this likely to have renal failure in dogs? The typical form of chronic renal failure is the result of aging; it is simply a "wearing out" process. The age of onset is related to the size of the dog. For most small dogs, the early signs occur ...


Is The Shock Wave Therapy Inviting Diabetes And Hypertension??

... increases the risk of diabetes and hypertension in the patients given this treatment. Risk for diabetes was related to the intensity of the treatment and quantity of the shock waves administered; hypertension was related to treatment of stones in both kidneys. It is found out that the shock waves lithotripsy ...


What Are The Early Signs Of Kidney Disease In Patients With Diabetes?

... The earliest sign of diabetic kidney disease is an increased excretion of albumin in the urine. This is present long before the usual tests done in your doctor's office show evidence of kidney disease, so it is important for you to have this test on a yearly basis. Weight gain and ankle swelling may occur. ...

Why Some People Continue To Have Painful Kidney Stones?

... techniques. Kidney stones may contain various combinations of chemicals. For years, doctors thought a low-calcium diet was the best way to prevent kidney stones, especially in those who already had stones. Drinking plenty of water is all that is needed to help kidney stones pass easily from the urinary ...


Getting Tough On E. Coli Can Help Prevent Kidney Failure

... dialysis, her kidneys were permanently damaged, and she will likely need dialysis again in the future." According to Dr. Marie-Jos e Clermont, a nephrologist at Montreal's St-Justine Hospital, "Infections could be prevented if people recognized that they play an important role in ensuring the safety of ...

What Are The Screening Tests For Prostate Cancer?

... blood sample is drawn and the amount of prostate- specific antigen (PSA) present is determined in a laboratory. PSA is a marker that, if present in higher than average amounts, may indicate prostate cancer cells. However, PSA levels may also be higher in men who have noncancerous prostate conditions. ...

Signs Of Renal Failure In Cats

... Cats with renal failure will often have a poor hair coat and a stiff gait. Some cats will also vomit due to the build up of waste products within the blood stream. Occasionally, cats will present with sudden onset blindness associated with bleeding into the eye or retinal detachment as a result of hypertension. ...


Symptoms And Treatment Of Kidney Disease In Dogs

... Disease in Dogs Treatments for the symptoms of kidney disease in dogs include a low protein and low phosphorus prescription diet. The predominant effect of the low protein diet is to minimize production of uremic toxins so that the dog with kidney disease feels better. Low protein diets may help extend ...

Read Full Article
Posted by at No comments:

Vitamin D helps kidney patients live longer -study

CHICAGO, May 7 (Reuters) - Kidney disease patients who took a prescription form of Vitamin D were 26 percent less likely to die over a two-year span than those not taking the vitamin, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and is important for bone health, but several recent studies suggest that this vitamin may have other benefits, such as protecting against heart disease.

Dr. Bryan Kestenbaum of the University of Washington in Seattle conducted a two-year study to see what impact the drug would have on improving the health of kidney disease patients with severely reduced renal function.

People with advanced kidney disease often take a form of Vitamin D to bring down high levels of a hormone secreted by the parathyroid glands in the neck that controls calcium metabolism. Too much of the hormone can weaken bones.

Kestenbaum's team studied 1,418 patients who had moderate to severe chronic kidney disease. All patients also had high parathyroid hormone levels, which is often caused by kidney failure.

One group was being treated with the drug calcitriol, a synthetic form of Vitamin D, to lower their parathyroid hormone levels. Another group was not taking the drug.

After two years, the researchers compared death rates, adjusting for differences in age, kidney function, parathyroid hormone levels and other illnesses.

They found patients taking the drug had a 26 percent lower risk of death compared to people not taking the drug. They also were less likely to develop end-stage kidney disease.

"Recently, there has been an increased focus on the effects of vitamin D beyond those on bone health," Kestenbaum, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, said in a statement



What Are The Screening Tests For Prostate Cancer?

... rectal examination (DRE) is performed by a doctor during a regular office visit. For this examination, the doctor inserts a gloved finger into the rectum and feels the prostate gland through the rectal wall to check for bumps or abnormal areas. Although this test has been used for many years, whether ...


Why Some People Continue To Have Painful Kidney Stones?

... certain things that can prevent this from happening. 1. One of the ways to prevent the kidney stone formation is to drink plenty of water. Even after the removal of kidney stone, there is still a possibility of the formation of stones again. To prevent this, one is required to drink enough liquids throughout ...


Are You Suffering From Kidney Cancer?

... relief from symptoms and side effects caused by treatments including chemotherapy and radiation. Kidney cancer patients will also benefit from psychological reassurance. This will speed up recovery and even minimize complications. Taking care of a loved one who is suffering from kidney cancer is not easy. ...


Chronic Kidney Disease Causes

... nephropathy, which is the leading cause of kidney disease in the United States. High blood pressure (hypertension), if not controlled, can damage the kidneys over time. Glomerulonephritis is the inflammation and damage of the filtration system of the kidney and can cause kidney failure. Postinfectious ...


Chronic Kidney Disease

... microscopic leaky blood vessels called capillaries. Here, blood is filtered of waste products and fluid while red blood cells, proteins, and large molecules are retained in the capillaries. In addition to wastes, some useful substances are also filtered out. The filtrate collects in a sac called Bowman ...

Treatment Options For Kidney Stones Ureteroscopic Stone Removal

... outpatient basis under general or local anesthesia. The surgeon passes a small ureteroscope through the bladder into the ureter to snare the stone. In some cases, the surgeon will shatter the stone using ultrasound, laser, or a technique called electrohydraulic lithotripsy. To relieve swelling and help ...


Definitions Of Acute Kidney Failure:

... glomerular filtration rate, often to values of less than 1 to 2 ml per minute. It is usually associated with oliguria (urine volumes of less than 400 ml per day) and is always associated with biochemical consequences of the reduction in glomerular filtration rate such as a rise in blood urea nitrogen ...

Diseases And Conditions Affecting The Kidney

... or foul odor or is bloody. Pyelonephritis is an infection of kidney tissue; most often, it is the result of cystitis that has spread to the kidney. An obstruction in the urinary tract can make a kidney infection more likely. Infections elsewhere in the body, including, for example, streptococcal infections, ...

Treatment Options For Kidney Stones

... particles that remain after treatment are easily passed in the urine. The shock waves are painful, so the procedure is performed with sedatives, local anesthesia or general anesthesia. At other centers the patient may lie on a cushion for the treatment. Mayo Clinic urologists use water for all ESWL procedures ...


Flushing Kidney Stones The Natural Way

... are one of the most common of urinary tract disorders. They are also one of the most painful. Kidney stones are crystals that form from substances in the blood that build up inside the kidneys. When the hard mass moves out of the kidney into the ureter, a sharp pain in the back and side will signal the ...

Read Full Article
Posted by at 1 comment:

Vitamin D reduces mortality rate in kidney patients

Washington, May 9 (IANS) Activated vitamin D administered to patients with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) reduces mortality by a fourth, according to the latest findings.

The findings are based on a study of 1,418 patients with moderate to severely impaired kidney function. They also had high parathyroid hormone levels (hyperparathyroidism), which can contribute to weakening of the bones in CKD patients.

Researchers identified a group that was being treated with calcitriol to lower parathyroid hormone levels, and another group that was not receiving calcitriol.

Patients with advanced CKD take calcitriol, an oral form of activated vitamin D, to treat elevated levels of parathyroid hormone, explained Bryan Kestenbaum of the University of Washington, one of the co-authors of the study.

During a two-year follow-up period, mortality rates were compared for patients who were and were not taking calcitriol. "We then adjusted for differences in age, kidney function, parathyroid hormone levels, other illnesses, and other medications," says Kestenbaum.

In the adjusted analysis, the overall risk of death was about 26 percent lower for patients taking calcitriol. Patients on calcitriol were also less likely to develop end-stage renal disease, requiring dialysis to replace lost kidney function.

"Recently, there has been an increased focus on the effects of vitamin D beyond those on bone health," Kestenbaum comments. "Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and inflammation."

These findings will appear in the August issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

IANS

Posted by at 1 comment:

Form of vitamin D lowers kidney-disease death risk

Form of vitamin D lowers kidney-disease death risk

Kidney-Diseases.Com

CTV.ca News Staff

Chronic kidney disease patients may see their risk of death drop by one quarter if they take a form of vitamin D, a new study says.

In a study of more than 1,400 people with chronic kidney disease, those that were taking the drug calcitriol, a form of activated vitamin D, had a 26 per cent reduction in their risk of death versus those who were not on the drug. Overall, the patients on calcitriol had their risk of either death or dialysis due to a loss of kidney function fall by 20 per cent.

The study is published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

A healthy human body uses first the liver and then the kidneys to convert vitamin D obtained through diet and sunlight into an active form that the body can use. However, it is believed that patients with chronic kidney disease are unable to do complete the second step.

They are often prescribed activated vitamin D to help lower elevated levels of the parathyroid hormone, which can lead to a weakening of the bones. However, people with kidney disease often suffer from calcified, or stiff, blood vessels, which can lead to a host of cardiovascular problems. Vitamin D increases calcium levels in the blood, which doctors fear could exacerbate this problem.

"We did find that people who got the activated vitamin D drug did have a higher risk of having a high calcium level in the blood," study author Dr. Bryan Kestenbaum of the University of Washington told Ctv.ca.

"But the overall amount of people that that happened to was relatively small, and the overall balance was that people who got the activated vitamin D drug survived longer."

Kestenbaum speculated that vitamin D leads to decreased mortality rates because of its known ability to lower risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, diabetes and inflammation.

He said that the next step in this field of research would be to conduct randomized clinical trials to confirm vitamin D's effect on survival rates among patients with kidney disease.

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)