Calciphylaxis epidemiology, risk factors, treatment and survival among French chronic kidney disease patients: a case-control study.

Background: Calcific Uremic Arteriolopathy (CUA) is a rare disease, causing painful skin ulcers in patients with end stage renal disease. Recommendations for CUA management and treatment are lacking.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on CUA cases identified in western France, in order to describe its management and outcome in average clinical practices.

[When to place a patient on the kidney transplantation waiting list?].

Practices for enrollment on kidney transplantation waiting lists are variable between geographical areas and centers. Early referral of patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) to a nephrologist, particularly one practicing in a transplantation center, is a prerequisite to early enrollment. Despite improved survival in elderly transplant recipients, being aged over 65 years is still a barrier against enrollment.

[Disturbances of mineral metabolism in a French hemodialysis unit].

Recent data from DOPPS in the field of the mineral metabolism showed that there is a relative homogeneity between most of the countries and continents studied. In reference to the American recommendations (NKF-K/DOQI 2003) the majority of the patients are apart from the desired targets. Approximately 70% of the patients have a relative biological hypoparathyroidism (PTHi<150 pg/ml) or a hyperparathyroidism (PTHi > 300 pg/ml).

Mesenteric ischaemia in haemodialysis patients: a case/control study.

Background: Mesenteric ischaemia is not uncommon in dialysis patients and seems to have been increasing in the last decade. However, the risk factors for mesenteric ischaemia are unclear and prognosis of patients after this type of ischaemic accident is not well defined.

Methods: From January 1988 to June 1999, 15 haemodialysis patients (0.