Publications by authors named "C Fourtounas"

Hypertension is common in chronic kidney disease patients especially in those undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Usually, blood pressure falls after the HD session but in some patients a paradoxical increase has been observed during or immediately after HD. This phenomenon is referred as intradialytic hypertension.

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The role of uric acid (UA) on the pathogenesis and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains controversial. Experimental and clinical studies indicate that UA is associated with several risk factors of CKD including diabetes, hypertension, oxidative stress, and inflammation and hyperuricemia could be considered as a common dominator linking CKD and cardiovascular disease. Notably, the impact of serum UA levels on the survival of CKD, dialysis patients, and renal transplant recipients is also a matter of debate, as there are conflicting results from clinical studies.

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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become a real epidemic around the world, mainly due to ageing and diabetic nephropathy. Although diabetic nephropathy due to type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has been studied more extensively, the vast majority of the diabetic CKD patients suffer from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Renal transplantation has been established as a first line treatment for diabetic nephropathy unless there are major contraindications and provides not only a better quality of life, but also a significant survival advantage over dialysis.

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Anemia is a common feature of diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) mainly due to erythropoietin (EPO) deficiency and uremic toxicity. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have been established as first-choice medications for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. However, there are conflicting data regarding their impact on hemoglobin levels in patients with diabetic nephropathy.

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Magnesium is as an essential metal implicated in numerous physiological functions of human cells. The kidney plays a crucial role in magnesium homeostasis. In advanced chronic kidney disease, serum magnesium levels are increased.

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