Changes in pulse pressure during hemodialysis treatment and survival in maintenance dialysis patients.

Background And Objectives: Pulse pressure has been shown as a risk factor for mortality in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). However, the effect of change in pulse pressure during hemodialysis on survival in a large cohort of patients on MHD has not been sufficiently investigated.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: This study examined the association between time-varying Δ pulse pressure (postdialysis minus predialysis pulse pressure) and mortality in a cohort of 98,577 patients on MHD (July 2001-June 2006) using Cox proportional hazard models with restricted cubic splines.

Comparison of the malnutrition-inflammation score in chronic kidney disease patients and kidney transplant recipients.

Background: Protein-energy wasting (PEW) is a common condition in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) including dialysis and kidney transplant recipients (TX) and frequently assessed with malnutrition-inflammation score (MIS). We hypothesized that (1) the MIS and PEW parameters are correlated with kidney function and (2) the MIS and PEW parameters are more severe in TX than in non-dialysis (ND) CKD patients with similar eGFR.

Methods: In this study, we matched 203 ND-CKD and 203 TX patients from two independently assembled cohorts of patients based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and compared various PEW parameters between the two groups using unadjusted and case-mix adjusted linear regression and conditional logistic regression analysis models.

Association of Adiponectin With Body Composition and Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients.

Background: In the general population, circulating adiponectin is associated with a favorable cardiovascular risk profile (eg, lower triglycerides and body fat) and decreased mortality. Hemodialysis (HD) patients have comparatively higher adiponectin concentrations, but prior studies examining the adiponectin-mortality association in this population have not accounted for body composition or shown a consistent relationship.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Epidemiology: Spotlight on CKD deaths—increasing mortality worldwide.

In the USA, mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease has declined over the past two decades. By contrast, new data indicate that the rate of CKD-associated deaths is increasing worldwide. This important finding highlights CKD as a major contributor to global morbidity and mortality.

Dietary restrictions in dialysis patients: is there anything left to eat?

A significant number of dietary restrictions are imposed traditionally and uniformly on maintenance dialysis patients, whereas there is very little data to support their benefits. Recent studies indicate that dietary restrictions of phosphorus may lead to worse survival and poorer nutritional status. Restricting dietary potassium may deprive dialysis patients of heart-healthy diets and lead to intake of more atherogenic diets.

Association of thyroid functional disease with mortality in a national cohort of incident hemodialysis patients.

Context: Hypothyroidism is a common condition that disproportionately affects hemodialysis patients. In the general population, hypothyroidism is associated with higher mortality, particularly in populations with underlying cardiovascular risk. Despite their heightened cardiovascular mortality, the impact of hypothyroidism on the survival of hemodialysis patients remains uncertain.

A review: Radiographic iodinated contrast media-induced thyroid dysfunction.

Context: Thyroid hormone production is dependent on adequate iodine intake. Excess iodine is generally well-tolerated, but thyroid dysfunction can occur in susceptible individuals after excess iodine exposure. Radiological iodinated contrast media represent an increasingly common source of excess iodine.

Body mass index and mortality in kidney transplant recipients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: A higher body mass index (BMI) seems to be linked to survival advantage in maintenance hemodialysis patients. However, it is uncertain if this 'obesity survival paradox' is also observed in kidney transplant recipients. Hence, we systematically reviewed the literature on the impact of pre-transplantation BMI on all-cause mortality in this population.

The relationship between ultraviolet light exposure and mortality in dialysis patients.

Background: Emerging data suggest that reduced exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is associated with increased mortality in the general population. To date, the association between UV exposure and mortality in dialysis patients has not been examined.

Methods: We examined the association between UV index, a proxy of UV exposure, and all-cause mortality among 47,286 US dialysis patients (entry period 2001-2006, with follow-up through 2009) from a large national dialysis organization using multivariable Cox regression.

The relationship between thyroid function and estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: Recent studies have shown an increasing risk of hypothyroidism with incrementally lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in cohorts comprised of patients with normal to mildly impaired kidney function. We sought to confirm these findings in a nationally representative cohort of Veterans Affairs patients with moderate-to-severe chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: This study examined the association between kidney function and hypothyroidism among 461 607 veterans with Stage 3 to 5 CKD who underwent repeated measurements of serum creatinine and thyrotropin (TSH) at identical time points between October 2004 and September 2006.

Protein-energy wasting and uremic failure to thrive in children with chronic kidney disease: they are not small adults.

Protein-energy wasting (PEW), a condition of decreased body protein and fat mass, is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and a potent predictor of mortality in this population. In adults with CKD, PEW has typically been defined on the basis of (1) deranged biochemical parameters, (2) reduced body mass, (3) reduced muscle mass, and (4) decreased dietary protein intake. Emerging data suggest that PEW may also commonly afflict children with CKD and have a negative impact on growth and development ("uremic failure to thrive"), yet it remains comparatively understudied and less well characterized in these patients.

Resistance exercise: an effective strategy to reverse muscle wasting in hemodialysis patients?

Muscle wasting is a common complication afflicting maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients, and it is associated with decreased muscle function, exercise performance, physical function, and quality of life. Meanwhile, numerous epidemiologic studies have consistently shown that greater muscle mass (ascertained by body anthropometry surrogates, body composition tests such as dual x-ray absorptiometry, and/or serum creatinine in patients with little to no residual kidney function) is associated with increased survival in this population. The pathophysiology of muscle wasting in HD patients is complex and may be caused by poor dietary intake, catabolic effects of dialysis therapy, hormonal alterations (e.

The Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program (KDSAP): a novel translatable model for increasing interest in nephrology careers.

Despite the increasing prevalence of CKD in the United States, there is a declining interest among United States medical graduates in nephrology as a career choice. Effective programs are needed to generate interest at early educational stages when career choices can be influenced. The Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program (KDSAP) is a novel program initiated at Harvard College that increases student knowledge of and interest in kidney health and disease, interest in nephrology career paths, and participation in kidney disease research.

Dose of hemodialysis and survival: a marginal structural model analysis.

Background: Observational studies have consistently demonstrated the survival benefits of a greater dialysis dose in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients, whereas randomized controlled trials have shown conflicting results. The possible causal impact of dialysis dose on mortality needs to be investigated using rich cohort data analyzed with novel statistical methods such as marginal structural models (MSMs) that account for time-varying confounding and exposure.

Methods: We quantified the effect of delivered dose of hemodialysis (HD) [single-pool Kt/V (spKt/V)] on mortality risk in a contemporary cohort of 68,110 patients undergoing HD 3 times weekly (7/2001- 9/2005).

Updates on the management of diabetes in dialysis patients.

Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the U.S. and many countries globally.

Thyroid functional disease: an under-recognized cardiovascular risk factor in kidney disease patients.

Thyroid functional disease, and in particular hypothyroidism, is highly prevalent among chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. In the general population, hypothyroidism is associated with impaired cardiac contractility, endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis and possibly higher cardiovascular mortality. It has been hypothesized that hypothyroidism is an under-recognized, modifiable risk factor for the enormous burden of cardiovascular disease and death in CKD and ESRD, but this has been difficult to test due to the challenge of accurate thyroid functional assessment in uremia.

Impact of age, race and ethnicity on dialysis patient survival and kidney transplantation disparities.

Background: Prior studies show that African-American and Hispanic dialysis patients have lower mortality risk than whites. Recent age-stratified analyses suggest this survival advantage may be limited to younger age groups, but did not concurrently compare Hispanic, African-American, and white patients, nor account for differences in nutritional and inflammatory status as potential confounders. Minorities experience inequities in kidney transplantation access, but it is unknown whether these racial/ethnic disparities differ across age groups.

Bone and mineral disorders after kidney transplantation: therapeutic strategies.

Mineral and bone diseases (MBD) are common in patients with chronic kidney disease who undergo kidney transplantation. The incidence, types and severity of MBD vary according to the duration of chronic kidney disease, presence of comorbid conditions and intake of certain medications. Moreover, multiple types of pathology may be responsible for MBD.

Revisiting the association between altitude and mortality in dialysis patients.

It was recently reported that residential altitude is inversely associated with all-cause mortality among incident dialysis patients; however, no adjustment was made for key case-mix and laboratory variables. We re-examined this question in a contemporary patient database with comprehensive clinical and laboratory data. In a contemporary 8-year cohort of 144,892 maintenance dialysis patients from a large dialysis organization, we examined the relationship between residential altitude and all-cause mortality.

Risk of chronic kidney disease after cancer nephrectomy.

The incidence of early stage renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is increasing and observational studies have shown equivalent oncological outcomes of partial versus radical nephrectomy for stage I tumours. Population studies suggest that compared with radical nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy is associated with decreased mortality and a lower rate of postoperative decline in kidney function. However, rates of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients who have undergone nephrectomy might be higher than in the general population.

Comparative mortality-predictability using alkaline phosphatase and parathyroid hormone in patients on peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis.

Background: In hemodialysis (HD) patients, serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) derangements are associated with mortality, but outcome-predictability using ALP and PTH in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients remains uncertain.

Methods: In a cohort of 9244 adult PD patients from a large national dialysis organization (entry period 2001 - 2006, with follow-up through 2009), we used multivariable Cox models adjusted for case-mix and laboratory covariates to examine the associations of time-averaged ALP and PTH with all-cause mortality. We then compared mortality-predictability using ALP and PTH in 9244 PD and 99 323 HD patients.