Post-infectious glomerulonephritis presenting as acute renal failure in a patient with Lyme disease.

Introduction: We report a case of a patient with acute renal failure in Lyme disease-associated focal proliferative mesangial nephropathy. Lyme disease is a vector-borne disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted by the bite of an infected ixodes tick. Post-infectious glomerulonephritis (GN)secondary to Borrelia burgdorferi infection in man could be fatal, as it is in canine Lyme borreliosis.

Systolic blood pressure and mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients: results of a nationwide italian study.

Studies on the relationship between blood pressure (BP) and mortality among hemodialysis patients have yielded conflicting results. Reports have come mostly from North America and have dealt with dialysis patients as a homogenous population and differed in methods and time of BP measurement and the optimal BP target. In a prospective nationwide study in 3674 unselected Caucasian patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing chronic hemodialysis from 73 dialysis units, the authors sought to examine the relationship between the different measurements of BP and mortality according to antihypertensive treatment.

[Management of color-Doppler imaging in dialysis patients].

In recent decades, the survival of dialysis patients has gradually increased thanks to the evolution of dialysis techniques and the availability of new drug therapies. These elements have led to an increased incidence of a series of dialysis-related diseases that might compromise the role of dialysis rehabilitation: vascular disease, skeletal muscle disease, infectious disease, cystic kidney disease and cancer. The nephrologist is therefore in charge of a patient group with complex characteristics including the presence of indwelling vascular and/or peritoneal catheters, conditions secondary to chronic renal failure (hyperparathyroidism, anemia, amyloid disease, etc.

Prevalence of hypertension in a large cohort of Italian hemodialysis patients: results of a cross-sectional study.

Background: Hypertension is very common among patients receiving hemodialysis; however, little is known about its prevalence and control following the publication of the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) recommendations.

Methods: This was a multicenter, observational, prospective, cross-sectional study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of hypertension and its awareness in a large sample of hemodialysis patients in Italy, and assessing possible relationships between high blood pressure (BP) values and traditional and nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors. Predialysis hypertension was defined as systolic BP (SBP) / diastolic BP (DBP) =140/90 mm Hg, and postdialysis hypertension as SBP/DBP =130/80 mm Hg or the use of antihypertensive medications.

Renal arteriovenous fistula simulating hydronephrosis: A case report.

Introduction: Acquired renal arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) include those that occur as a complication of renal biopsy.

Case Report: The authors report the case of a woman with recent-onset grade I hypertension, who was referred to our staff for sonographic studies of the kidneys and urinary tract. Laboratory data revealed microhematuria and proteinuria <0.