Bilateral staghorn kidney stones in Megacalycosis: Non operative management of complex kidney stone disease.

What happens when kidney stone clearance is not feasible? We report the case of a 46-year-old male who presented for review with bilateral congenital non-obstructive calyceal dilatation (megacalycosis) and high volume bilateral renal calculi in the setting of stage four chronic kidney disease. Since complete stone clearance was deemed futile, thus a consensus was made between Urology and Nephrology, and treatment goals were focused on addressing symptoms, preserving renal function and preventing urinary tract infections until renal transplantation is needed. This case highlights that for some patients with severe complex kidney stone disease, an alternative management plan is needed.

Spontaneous renal artery dissection: an elusive diagnosis.

Spontaneous renal artery dissection is a rare condition with an often non-specific presentation, resulting in a challenging diagnosis for clinicians. This is the case of a 39-year-old man who presented with an acute-onset right flank pain, mild neutrophilia and sterile urine. CT of abdomen and pelvis showed a patchy hypodense area in the right kidney originally thought to represent infection.

Serotonin syndrome unmasking thyrotoxicosis.

A 26-year-old cachectic man presented with an altered mental status. He was agitated, tremulous, hyperthermic and diaphoretic with largely dilated pupils. Collateral history revealed acute ingestion of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine on a background of chronic drug abuse.

CKD Prevalence Varies across the European General Population.

CKD prevalence estimation is central to CKD management and prevention planning at the population level. This study estimated CKD prevalence in the European adult general population and investigated international variation in CKD prevalence by age, sex, and presence of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. We collected data from 19 general-population studies from 13 European countries.

Methodology used in studies reporting chronic kidney disease prevalence: a systematic literature review.

Background: Many publications report the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the general population. Comparisons across studies are hampered as CKD prevalence estimations are influenced by study population characteristics and laboratory methods.

Methods: For this systematic review, two researchers independently searched PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE to identify all original research articles that were published between 1 January 2003 and 1 November 2014 reporting the prevalence of CKD in the European adult general population.

Prevalence and variation of Chronic Kidney Disease in the Irish health system: initial findings from the National Kidney Disease Surveillance Programme.

Background: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a major non-communicable chronic disease that is associated with adverse clinical and economic outcomes. Passive surveillance systems are likely to improve efforts for prevention of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and inform national service planning. This study was conducted to determine the overall prevalence of CKD in the Irish health system, assess period trends and explore patterns of variation as part of a novel surveillance initiative.

Diet, Physical Activity, Lifestyle Behaviors, and Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in Irish Children: The Cork Children's Lifestyle Study Protocol.

Background: Childhood obesity is complex, and its aetiology is known to be multifaceted. The contribution of lifestyle behaviors, including poor diet and physical inactivity, to obesity remains unclear. Due to the current high prevalence, childhood obesity is an urgent public health priority requiring current and reliable data to further understand its aetiology.

DASH diet score and distribution of blood pressure in middle-aged men and women.

Background: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Trial provides critical data on the impact of a specific diet pattern (low in salt, fat, and processed foods and high in fruit and vegetables) on blood pressure (BP). The effect of compliance with a DASH-type diet on BP in a general population sample is less well defined. We studied associations between a DASH style diet and BP.

Prevalence of diminished kidney function in a representative sample of middle and older age adults in the Irish population.

Background: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) using available estimating equations with the Republic of Ireland is unknown.

Methods: A randomly selected population based cross-sectional study of 1,098 adults aged 45 years and older was conducted using data from the 2007 Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition (SLÁN). Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) was calculated from a single IDMS aligned serum creatinine using the CKD-EPI and the MDRD equations, and albumin to creatinine ratio was based on a single random urine sample.

Retransplantation in Alport post-transplant anti-GBM disease.

Background: Post transplant anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease affects up to 5% of patients with Alport's syndrome. Defects in the COL4A5 gene are responsible for most cases, and alpha 5(IV)NC1 is the usual target for alloantibodies. Gene deletions are more commonly associated with this complication than are point mutations.