Multidisciplinary education and lifestyle camps for CKD patients and their closest family members: effects on disease progression, self-management and psychosocial condition-a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Multidisciplinary education including psychosocial care (MDE) may alleviate high burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Family support also has utmost importance, yet, MDE has rarely been provided jointly for patients and their relatives.

Methods: We organized intensive, 1-week-long boarding MDE and lifestyle camps for CKD stage III-V patients and their relatives and assessed the rate of CKD progression, proportion of participants' home-based dialysis choice, transplant activity, and improvement of their coping and attitude evaluated by written narratives.

[Outcome of patients with lupus nephritis under long-term immunonephrological care].

Introduction: Lupus nephritis is the most severe complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), its development and the effectiveness of immunosuppressive therapy substantially influence patients' quality of life and survival.

Aim: In this retrospective observational investigation, the long term-outcome of patients with lupus nephritis, followed at the St. Margit Hospital Immunonephrological Outpatient Clinic, was evaluated.

Simple, readily available clinical indices predict early and late mortality among patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Background: The early identification of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who are at increased risk for inferior clinical outcome at the time of diagnosis might help to optimize the immunosuppressive therapy. In this study we wanted to determine the predictive value of simple clinical characteristics, which may be applicable for early risk-stratification of patients with AAV.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the outcome of 101 consecutive patients with AAV receiving a protocolized immunosuppressive therapy.

Therapy and prognosis of ANCA-associated vasculitis from the clinical nephrologist's perspective.

This paper reviews the recently published scientific information regarding ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), aiming to highlight the most important data from the clinical nephrologists' perspective. The classification, pathomechanism, recent achievements of the treatment, short-term and long-term outcomes of the disease, and the difficulties nephrologists face when taking care for patients with AAV are summarized. There has been significant progress in the understanding of the genetic and pathologic background of the disease in the last years, and results of histological studies guide us to predict long-term renal function.

Clinical outcomes of ANCA-associated vasculitis in elderly patients.

Background: Older age is independently associated with mortality in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV). We hypothesized that a reduced-dose immunosuppressive treatment would result in similar effectiveness and comparable treatment-related morbidity in elderly patients as the regular dose in younger patients. We also postulated that the higher baseline comorbidities may contribute to the higher mortality of the elderly subjects.

Acute and long-term effects of corticosteroid therapy on bone metabolism in patients with kidney diseases.

Aim: The aim of our study was to examine parameters of bone metabolism during pulse and long-term methylprednisolone (MP) treatment in patients with kidney diseases.

Methods: In 13 patients with RPGN, treated with intravenous MP pulses, followed by tapering oral doses, osteocalcin (OC) and β-CrossLaps (β-CL) were measured before treatment, after the 3rd pulse, then 1 and 3 months later ("acute study"). In a separate set of analyses serum markers of bone metabolism and bone mineral density (BMD) were studied in 40 patients on maintenance MP therapy ("chronic study").

[Role of plasmapheresis in immunological kidney diseases. Experience from 1050 completed plasmapheresis treatment sessions].

Unlabelled: Plasmapheresis is an effective treatment modality in several immunological kidney diseases. It is also indicated in certain neurological and hematological abnormalities, and some other diseases.

Aims: In this study the indications and outcomes of the plasma exchange treatments performed in the Plasmapheresis Unit of the authors during the last 12 years are summarized, and the findings are compared to those published in the literature.

[Severe hyponatremia and comatose state during colonoscopy preparation].

Authors present a case of an 83 years old female, who suddenly became unconscious and had seizures, during bowel preparation for colonoscopy, but before taking the sodium phosphate purgative. Laboratory investigations revealed severe hyponatremia. Hypertonic saline infusion was administered, the electrolyte disturbance returned to normal, the patient slowly regained her consciousness and her disorientation started to improve gradually.

[The past and present of peritoneal dialysis].

The author reviews briefly the history of peritoneal dialysis, and highlights the significance of the work of two Hungarian nephrologists, Stephen I. Vas and István Taraba . By now, peritoneal dialysis has been considered as equal renal replacement modality compared to haemodialysis.

Effect of plasmapheresis on serum beta-endorphin levels.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of plasmapheresis on serum beta-endorphin (BE) levels.

Method: The serum BE levels of 12 patients with various autoimmune or hematological disorders were monitored during plasmapheresis therapy.

Results: BE levels increased after the initial session in 8 of 12 patients; in the remaining 4 patients no change (n = 2) or a decline (n = 2) in BE levels was found.

Analgesic nephropathy in Hungary: the HANS study.

Background: The diagnosis of analgesic nephropathy has improved significantly with modern imaging techniques. We reviewed a large portion of the Hungarian dialysis population to obtain additional insight into the problem.

Methods: Twenty-two participating dialysis units enrolled 1400 patients on renal replacement therapy between 1 January 1995 and 1 January 1998.