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LDL Cholesterol Is a Poor Marker of Heart Health in Patients with Kidney Disease

• Among patients with chronic kidney disease, those with very low kidney function had a higher risk of having a heart attack than those with higher kidney function over a four-year period. • The link between higher LDL cholesterol and heart attack risk was weaker for patients with very low kidney function than for patients with higher kidney function. 60 million people globally have chronic kidney disease.

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Drama Therapy Improves Mood, Reduces Pain During Hemodialysis

Researchers are the first to discover that dramatic creativity can help people with failing kidneys.

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Phosphate-Binding Drug Does Not Improve Heart Health of Patients with Mild Kidney Disease

• The phosphate binder sevelamer carbonate did not improve cardiovascular measures in patients with early chronic kidney disease. • For now, reducing dietary intake of phosphate may be the best way for these patients to reduce the mineral’s negative effects on the heart. High phosphate levels—in kidney disease patients and in the general population—increase the risk of dying from cardiovascular causes.

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Slow Walking Speed Linked with Premature Death in Kidney Disease Patients

• In patients with chronic kidney disease, measures of lower extremity performance were at least 30% lower than predicted, but handgrip strength was relatively preserved. • Each 0.1-meter per second slower walking speed was linked with a 26% higher risk for death over an average three-year follow-up period. • Adding gait speed tests to laboratory tests of kidney function significantly improved the prediction of three-year mortality. 60 million people globally have chronic kidney disease.

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Why Do People with Apple-Shaped Bodies Have an Increased Risk of Kidney Disease?

• People with apple-shaped bodies tend to have lower kidney function, lower kidney blood flow, and higher blood pressure within the kidneys than people with pear-shaped bodies. • The findings may help explain why people with apple-shaped bodies are more likely than those with pear-shaped bodies to develop kidney disease.

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Take A Kidney Transplant Now Or Wait For A Better One? Johns Hopkins Researchers Create Web-Based ‘Decision’ Tool

Johns Hopkins scientists have created a free, Web-based tool to help patients decide whether it's best to accept an immediately available, but less-than-ideal deceased donor kidney for transplant, or wait for a healthier one in the future.

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Overweight Starting in Early Adulthood Linked with Kidney Disease in Older Age

• Individuals who are overweight starting in early adulthood are twice as likely to have chronic kidney disease at age 60 to 64 years than those who are not overweight. • Larger waist-to-hip ratios (“apple-shaped” bodies) during middle age are also linked with chronic kidney disease at age 60 to 64 years.

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MIS for Kidney Underused for Patients Who Need It Most

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have released study results that show national treatment trends in the surgical management of patients with kidney disease. The study found that partial and complete kidney removal (total nephrectomy) and energy-based techniques to destroy tumors are all on the rise. Surprisingly, the patients most in need of kidney-sparing surgery are still more likely to undergo total nephrectomy.

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Healthy Lifestyle Linked with Longer Survival Among Kidney Disease Patients

• Among individuals with chronic kidney disease, adherence to a healthy lifestyle was associated with a greater likelihood of surviving over a 13-year period. • The greatest survival benefits were related to nonsmoking. 60 million people globally have chronic kidney disease.

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