News Stories and Research on Dialysis

General News from the BBC

Click here for Kidney Dialysis News July 2008 and before.

How to increase the number of kidney transplants

The BBC News site (19th Aug 2010) has a short feature saying that kidneys from donors whose heart has stopped are just as viable a source of donor organs as those from brain dead donors whose heart is still functioning. This could double the number of transplants.

Is early too soon?

Current wisdom says the sooner you start dialysis the better. But recent research in Australis challenges that view, saying that it doesn't improve your lifespan or prevent complications and may even waste valuable resources. (Reported on 18th Aug, 2010)

US company seeks investors to raise funds for renal failure treatment research

Acording to an American business blog (13 July, 2010), InVasc Therapeutics seeks to raise $12 million, according to a Securities & Exchange Commission filing. The company wants to research and produce a treament that, it says, will delay the point at which dialysis becomes necessary, using a generic drug and a nutriceutical (similar to a multivitamin).

Location more important than state of health

A news alert from Stanford University (13th July 2010) reports that for elderly kidney failure patients in the US, their state of residence is more likely to affect treatment than their state of health. Sounds like the UK's imfamous "postcode lottery" occurs in other countries too.

Heart drug may be harmful to dialysis patients

The Guardian newspaper reports on 25 June 2010 that a common heart drug called digoxin may increase the risk of an early death for some people with kidney disease. The emphasis is on "may", as researchers are not yet sure if other factors may be at work as well.

Transplants more successful when donor - recipient weights are similar

The BBC are reporting (22 May 2010) on some French research which says that when there is a match between the two people's weight then there are less complications, while those who received a small kidney in proportion to their weight have more complications.

Anti-inflammatory drugs can help block hypertension-related kidney damage

Reported on 11th May in Health News, research suggests that some anti-inflammatory drugs may reduce damage, but may not be a treatment option due to side effects. Further research is taking place on this topic.

Spouses of dialysis patients likely to share kidney disease

At first we thougth this was a joke - contagious renal failure??? But many news sites are reporting it, such as Reuters, on 30th April. It seems that similar life styles among couples can lead to both of them suffering from the same problems. Four out of ten spouses in the study had renal problems. Get checked if your partner has renal failure, it could be you next!

New Research Reveals Vitamin B Renal Toxicity

It's all over the news sites, such as MedPageToday, on 28th April. Recent research says that taking high doses of vitamin B doesn't help those suffering from diabetic nephropathy, it can actually make things worse. Studying 238 patients, scientists at th eRobarts Researc Institute Lonodn, Ontaria, were surprized to find that glomerular filtration rate declined faster and heart problems were more common for patients who vitamin B supplements daily.

You can read the original article here in the Journal of the American Medical Association (although they show you an advert first, which you can skip).

"Baby Monitor" for Kidney transplants

Well, not quite. We've read newspaper reports (dated 28th April 2010) of a listening device which is attached during a transplant. This enables doctors to monitor how the kidney is functioning. It's other name is Implantable Doppler Cook-Swartz flow device. The name just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it.

Video conferencing is not just for big business!

So you live many miles from a dialysis consultant - what does you local hospital do when it needs specialist help? Well, according to a BBC News report, from 21st April, they should just fire up the video conferencing software and bring the specialist virtually next to your dialysis machine. The main renal unit at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness is wired in with Caithness General Hospital in Wick - 104 miles and 2hrs 20mins away by road. This idea deserves to be more wide spread, in our opinion, as it greatly reduces travel time for patients. All you need is a reasonable internet connection, and some software - even a cheap webcam would do the trick. A similar teledialysis link has been used in the far north of Norway since 2000, to connect a main renal unit with three outlying clinics.

Scientists hail 'revolutionary' kidney gene find

In research news that is spreading fast across the internet, for example the BBC news service, on 12th April 2010, scientists report the identification of 20 genes which could help explain the causes of kidney disease, and could one day "revolutionise" treatment.

Another not quite compatible transplant

Earlier in the year we reported on a patient recieving a kidney from an donor who wasn't compatible (see sixth item below). Now we read, on April 7th 2010, of a second such transplant, reported by the BBC News Service. The donor had a different blood group to the recipient, but after flushing the kidney many times to remove any antibodies, the transplant went ahead. Looks like finding a "match" is getting easier.

Fresenius ordered to repay US government $19 million

This item is being repeated all over the internet news centers. For example, MarketWatch reported it on 24th March 2010. Fresenius are reported to have bought a company, Renal Care Group, which owned Renal Care Group Supply Company, which acted as a shell company, enabling a greater payment to be received for each treatment, as if they were an independant company.

First three-way kidney transplants carried out in Britain

It seems that the UK has finally caught up with how to do things. The Telegraph reported on this three-way transplant ("I'll help your friend if you help his friend and he'll help my friend") on March 7th 2010. Perhaps the doctors have read the report a bit below this news item, about 13 patients, 13 donors, 13 transplants. Although the newspaper obviously has a novel definition of "first", as it goes on to say this has been down before in the UK, in December...

Delhi Hospitals to get 14 Dialysis Machines

Reported on an Indian news site, on 5th March, 2010. It says that two hospitals are to get 14 machines, to help with the increasing number of patients suffering from renal failure. A quick back of the envelope calculation says this will enable about 140 more patients to get regular treatment (for each machine, about 4 patients a day = 28 treatments a week, call it 30, and if each patient gets three treatments per week = 10 patients per machine in a week).

FDA and Baxter Recall Dialysis Machines

Reported on 4th March 2010, on several news sites including MedPageToday, The FDA and manufacturer of the HomeChoice and HomeChoice PRO dialysis systems have notified patients of a class I device recall -- the FDA's most serious -- after a number of reported injuries and one death.
Baxter Healthcare of Deerfield, Ill., says it has recalled HomeChoice products with the following codes: 5C4471, 5C4471R, 5C4474, 5C4474R, T5C4441, T5C4441R, 5C4474D, 5C4474DR.
Also recalled are the following HomeChoice PRO models: 5C8310, 5C8310R, R5C8320, R5C8320R, T5C8300, T5C8300R.

Older patients shouldn't really be sidelined for transplants

As many people know, older patients often have a long wait for a transplant. But new research, reported by Johns Hopkins Medical School scientists on 15th February, suggests that deceased older donors' kidneys are just as viable for older recipients as those from younger donors. Using such kidneys could increase the donor pool considerably.

Kidney transplant - when the kidney is incompatible!

Well this one took us by surprize! The news story in the Times Online 5th Feb 2010 tells how a woman had her blood plasma frozen and filtered to enable her to receive what would have otherwise been an incompatible kidney. Is this a giant leap forward in kidney transplants? Well, it's being reported world wide as it is such a good result.

Paracetamol Protects Against Kidney Failure After Muscle Injury

Rhabdomyolysis-Induced Renal Failure occurs after a trauma, and can lead to kidney failure. As reported in MedicalNews (5th Feb 2010), research conducted at Essex, University college and the USA suggests that in these cases paracetamol can protect after muscle injuries. But they say that further trials are necessary to back up the claims.

We have an article on rhabdomyolysis, if you wish to learn more about this problem.

Diet soft drinks may increase risk of kidney damage

There are often a lot of health scares surrounding artificial sweeteners, so we are a bit cautious about this report. But Renal and Urology News reports on 22 January that there is some evidence that if your diet is high in artificial sweetener drinks or salt, then you are more likely to suffer a decrease in kidney function. This seemed to be the case where people had consumed two or more servings of such drinks per day.

Abnormal levels of calcium in the blood deadly for kidney patients

This new was reported on 11th January 2010 at Sciencecentric, based on an article from the American Society of Nephrology (the news was reported on several web sites). An increased chance of premature death was noted in non-dialysis patients. Those with chronic kidney disease often have high calcium levels, and the authors think that the calcium may be involved in some processes that take longer to cause harm.

UK author gets kidney transplant

In a story that may help raise awareness of kidney failure, reported on 27th Dec, 2009, in the Times, Sue Townsend, author of the Adrain Mole books from the 1980s (very popular in the UK at the time) has recieved a new kidney. She had diabetes for many years and was on dialysis for the last two years.

13 Patients, 13 Donors, 13 Transplants. One network

This one has appeared on many news sites, including the CNN News, from 14th December. (Half way down, click on the link "Watch more on the 26-person transplant". A large number of people simpley networked together, each willing to donate, not necesarily to their own friend with renal failure, if they don't have a successful match. "I'll help your friend if you help mine". This sort of networking can help increase the number of successful transplants.

One in five kidney patients given the wrong drug

In an article that is hitting the headlines everywhere, ABCNews reports (on 8th Dec, 2009), that after studying the data from 829 U.S. hospitals on 22,778 dialysis patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention - a procedure in which a tube is inserted into an artery to open a blockage, it was found that 22% were given a blood thinner that was not recommended for patients on dialysis. This is a rather serious error to make! It doubled the number of bleeeding incidents, and increased the number of accidental deaths.

Grant to aid Investigation of the Diabetes - Kidney Disease Link

Having diabetes makes you prone to kidney problems and to needing dialysis. MedicalNews Today reported on 7th December 2009 that over £320,000 has been jointly awarded to Nottingham Trent University and The University of Sheffield by The Wellcome Trust, to fund important research into an enzyme which is believed to hold the key to treating kidney disease and diabetes.

Dialysis and Kidney Transplant Patients Face Higher Risk of NSF from Gadolinium Agents

We found similar reports on several web sites, including yourlawer.com, about a study of patients exposed to gadolinium contrast dyes which has revealed that hemodialysis patients had a 77-fold higher risk of developing nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), while kidney transplant patients had a 69-fold higher risk of the disease. The NSF study was published in the October issue of the Archives of Dermatology. Gadolinium contrast dyes are approved for use in MRI procedures, and are sometimes used off-label in MRA studies. The U.S. health regulators are about to review the use of these dyes on 8th December 2009.

Vitamin E help fight muscle cramps during dialysis

Many reports suggest that Vitamen E may help those suffering from cramp. A recent article in a medical journal reports on research carried out at Coney Island Hospital, Brooklyn showed that for dialysis patients, Vitamen E seemed to be very effective are reducing cramp during treatments. The study group was rather small, but if similar results are found with a larger group, then this could be good news for those who have this problem during dialysis.

Rise in number of kidney disease sufferers worldwide

On 13th November 2009, CNN news center, reporting on World Diabetes Day said that experts believe that as developing countries become increasingly urbanized, they are adopting the unhealthy lifestyles that promote diabetes and high blood pressure, the leading causes of kidney disease. Diabetes is growning more rapidly in the developing world, with the widely known side effect of causing more renal failure problems.

FDA Issues Warning for Diabetes Drug

A worrying report at US News - HealthDay on 3rd November says that possible kidney problems, including renal failure, in people taking the diabetes drug exenatide (Byetta) have prompted changes to the drug's prescribing information, as reported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Health-care professionals and patients taking Byetta are advised to pay close attention to any signs or symptoms of kidney problems

Anemia Drug May Raise Stroke Risk in Kidney Patients

On 31st October 2009, online news center US News - HealthDay reported on a study that suggests that use of the anemia drug Aranesp should be reserved for the most seriously ill, as it appears to double the risk of a stoke in patients with diabetes and kidney disease, and doesn't seem to improve the quality of their life. This is based on research by Dr. Marc A. Pfeffer, a professor of medicine in the cardiovascular division of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston

Study suggests Fosrenol may be better than Renagel for phosphate binding

On 8th October 2009, the magazine Pharmafocus reported on a study that suggests Fosrenol may be a better choice, but as usual with drug reports, wait and see before jumping to conclusions.

Many on dialysis not told of transplant option

A report in America, dated 27th Sept 2009, says that many patients are not offered the chance of a kidney transplant. It argues that a transplant is overall a cheaper option. It also suggests that you should get on a transplant list as soon as possible. There are several other dialysis articles linked to from this one story.

Doctors suggest contraversial selection of "suitable" patients for dialysis

USA Today reported (13th Sept 2009) on a contraversial suggestion that some patients for dialysis should be excluded because of their age or if they had other serious medical problems which might soon result in their death.

Dialysis patients faced stroke risk with blood thinner

CBC News reports, on August 27th 2009, on research which says the blood thinner warfarin should be used cautiously in some heart patients with kidney failure. (Wafarin is prescribed to reduce the risk of strokes in people with atrial fibrillation, the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm.)

Amgen's anemia drug fails in kidney patient study

According to a report in the Sans Francisco Chronicle, on 25th August, the biotech giant Amgen Inc. says its anemia drug Aranesp didn't benefit patients with chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and anemia in a big late-stage study. Patients who got pricey Aranesp as part of their treatment fared no better than those who got a placebo on the study's two main measures.

Dialysis machine small enough to be worn as a belt

This story is appearing on many news sites, reported in the UK's Telegraph of August 21st, for example. They describe, rather briefly, a compact dialysis device, developed by researchers at UCLA, which weighs in at around 10lbs. As with several similar devices reported on in the last two years, it awaits a full clinical trial.

Gene linked to kidney failure

Research by an international group of scientists has uncovered the genetic basis of a rare hereditary kidney disease and they presented the discovery to journalists at a press conference on 20th August 2009. This may allow for the pharmacological treatment of the families which have a history of the disease.

The discovery made by researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, and colleagues provides insight into a protein, renin, that is important in blood pressure regulation, and reveals the cause of one type of inherited kidney disease occurring in adults and children. This work has been reported widely on the internet.

Kidney patients at risk from "enhanced" meats

A research article published on 23rd July, in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. that may worry kidney patients points out that "enhanced" meats (such as those plumper chickens with water injected into the meat) use phosphates to get part of their effects. Thus a renal failure patient may be injesting more potassium and phosphates than is good for them.

Baking soda an aid for some dialysis patients

This story is hitting the headlines in many places (16-17 July 2009), including The Times. It says that tests on 134 advanced chronic kidney disease patients with metabolic acidosis, showed positive results, with their kidneys deteriorating at 66% of the rate of those in a test group.

Jeddah to have world's largest kidney dialysis center

This was reported on many Middle East news sites, including here, on 29th June. The title says it all. They hope to be able to treat 800 patients using 140 dialysis machines.

Natalie Cole has Kidney Transplant

Singer Natalie Cole has been on regular dialysis since September, even during her recent tour reported in NME. (2nd April, 2009), but recently under went transplant surgery. Let's hope the publicity around this raises the public awareness of dialysis.

Update. As recently as 15th August, Natalie Cole praised the annonymous donor and their family who gave her a new kidney. So it looks like she is doing her best to bring attention to the problems of renal failure patients.

Murder of Dialysis Patients

We missed this report first time round Nurse Is Charged in the Death of 5 Patients (20th Mar, 2009), which describes a nurse charged with injecting bleach into the tubes of patients' dialysis tubing. Shocking.

More Research on Genes and Kidney Disease

A report from Nature Genetics, summarised by Ivanhoe (14th May, 2009), suggests three genes indicate a risk of reduced kidney function and chronic kidney disease. But further research is still needed.

For Dialysis Patients, More Pills = Lower Quality of Life

Forbes Magazine (13th May 2009) and Science Daily, among others, report on soon to be published research which claims that the more pills a dialysis patient is perscribed, the more likely they are not to tkae them as directed. Phosphate binder pills seemed to be most likely to be taken the wrong way, they said.

Gene Linked to Kidney Disease in African-Americans

Researchers at at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center believe they have finally isolated the gene that causes so much kidney disease in African-Americans. They call it MYH9. Research shows 70 percent of African-Americans with kidney disease have the gene, many of whom end up on dialysis. (13th May, 2009)

New Test May Predict Risk of End-Stage Renal Disease

According to ModernMedicine.com, on 13th April, 2009, a new test may soon be available, based on research which shows that levels of reduced eGFR combined with albuminuria predict progression of kidney disease. For the more techincally minded, the full report is available from JASN

Large Dialysis Companies Use Peritoneal Dialysis Less

A study reported on in Renal Business Today, on April 10th, said Large dialysis organizations use peritoneal dialysis significantly less than their smaller counterparts, which can lead to worse patient outcomes, according to a study published online April 9 in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. The study noted that the majority of these patients were not offered the PD option

Nutrition Guideline for Kids with CKD Updated

This report in Renal and Urology News, on 7th April, is worth reading.

Number of people needing dialysis rises

The Irish Times reported on a 50% increase on the number of people requiring kidney dialysis in the Irish Republic (11th March). Plans need to be in place to handle this, even if the transplant rate improves. Some figures to consider - almost 400 new patients develop end-stage kidney disease in the Republic every year; some two-thirds of new patients are male, with 44 per cent over 65 years of age, 83% are treated by haemodialysis, 15% by peritoneal dialysis and 2% receive a transplant.

Iron drug back in the news

Last year we mentioned how a new drug, Ferumoxytol, was being tested, but that some people were casting doubts on its effectiveness (see the older news section). Now it's back in the news, after a new study suggests it could be useful.

Inventor of the kidney machine dies

The death on 11th February 2009 of Willem Kolff, the Dutch doctor credited with inventing the modern kidney dialysis machine, has been reported on the vast majority of news sites, including the Washington Post - read the report here. Kolff was a pioneer in the field of artificial organs, and worked in many different fields of research.

Living at higher altitudes can increase dialysis patients live span

A recent study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association in February 2009 is appearing in many news centres, some giving more info than others. The InjuryBoard report and the WebMD report give nice summaries. Basically if a patient of dialysis lives (or moves to) an area several thousand feet above sea-level, the increase in hemoglobin in the blood (required to get enough oxygen transported) helps increase the live span by up to 15%.

Low protein diet for renal failure patients may pose some risks

A research article The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported in Renal News, on February 2nd, 2009, suggests that a low protein diet for those on hemodialysis may not be the best way to reduce phosphorus levels. Although an often suggested dietary restiction, it can result in malnutrition and protein-energy wasting, which can increase the risk of death in MHD patients.

Donating a kidney does the donor no harm

Another news item getting lots of coverage is a study of living kidney donors, hitting the media on 29th January 2009. It shows that these donors suffer no ill-effects after donating a kidney, and hopefully it will help increase the number of donors. It always seems such a big sacrifice to make, but when it turns out being a donor has no side effects, it may reduce the stress some donors experience. In fact donors are less susceptible to kidney failure than the general population. (Not saying donors are not great people - they absolutely definately are! And deserve a great deal of admiration.)

Overnight HD Could Improve Outcomes

Are you one a normal four hour dialysis treatment or an overnight eight hour one? A report in Renal News, Jan 22, 2009, suggests that those on an eight hour overnight hemodialysis treatment do substantially better than those on a standard four hour treatment regime. It seems to improve many things, but requires an overnight stay at the dialysis centre, something that patients apparently quickly adapt to. For those having health problems caused by dialysis, perhaps this might make a diference.

Simple Model Predicts Those At Risk For Chronic Kidney Disease

In a recent research article, reported on at Medical News, 28th December 2008, researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have created a simple eight-point risk factor checklist to do predict which patients might be likely to end up suffering from chronic kidney disease.

Phosphorus Lowering Drugs Linked To Lower Mortality In Dialysis Patients

Phosphorus is once again in the news, according to a report on phosphorus-binding drugs, on 18th December. For patients on dialysis, taking medications to reduce levels of the mineral phosphorus in the blood may reduce the risk of death by 25 to 30 percent, including those patients with only modest or even no increase in their blood phosphorus levels.

Novel Enteric Dialysis(TM) technology to be introduced by KIBOW BIOTECH at ASN 2008

A press release from Kibow Biotech on 4th November 2008 reports on a new treatment concept called Enteric Dialysis(TM). They will be introducing the concept of Enteric Dialysis(TM) at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Renal Week 2008, being held at PA Convention Center in Philadelphia, November 4-9. Their main product claims to remove toxins at the pre-dialysis stage of kidney failure, using probiotic bacteria in gel capsules, taken orally. Theya are currently conducting a pilot-scale, double-blind, randomized, cross-over human clinical trial for a period of six months at 6 study sites.

Johns Hopkins links kidney, heart failure

Researchers at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine reported in their in-house news journal on October 27th, that patients suffering from kidney failure are between ten to one hundred times more likely to die from heart failure than the rest of the population. This item is now being picked up by many newspapers across the world.

Cell changes identified which reduce the efficiency of peritoneal dialysis

A report from Science News (November 1st) discusses recent research on why peritoneal dialysis gradually becomes less effective. They identified molecular signals that cause abnormal changes in the peritoneum. They also found that pharmacologically disrupting these signals causes these abnormal cells to revert back to their original state, as they normally existed in the abdominal cavity lining. It is hoped that this will eventually lead to improvements in PD.

Patients at risk due to hospital water treatment failure

A UK newspaper reported on October 28th that kidney dialysis patients are at risk from silver in the water used in dialysis machines, after the filtering unit at one hospital failed, resulting in the death of a patient.

Kidney Research UK Launches First Ever National Kidney Disease Screening Pilot

Kidney Research UK is to launch a pilot programme of national screening days for chronic kidney disease (CKD). The screenings will take place from September until the end of November in four centres across the UK. (September 7th 2008). This national pilot aims to screen up to 2,000 people at four sites (namely London, Birmingham, Oldham, plus one other) each session targeting one of the high-risk groups likely to suffer kidney problems

Mortality Risk Revealed by Phosphorus-Regulating Hormone

Screening dialysis patients for levels of a hormone that regulates phosphorus may identify mortality risks and a need for phosphorus-lowering treatment, researchers found. One-year mortality risk for patients starting dialysis with the highest serum fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) levels was 5.7 times higher than for those with the lowest levels and 20% higher than for those with normal levels, reported Myles Wolf, M.D., of the University of Miami, and colleagues, in the Aug. 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.