The American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Health Initiative is releasing its Technology Roadmap for Innovative Approaches to Renal Replacement Therapy.
• Receiving high-dose vs. standard dose influenza vaccine in 2016-17 was associated with lower rates of hospitalization in dialysis patients, although this association was not seen in 2015-16 (when few dialysis patients received the high-dose vaccine). • There were no differences in rates of death between patients receiving the high-dose vs. standard dose influenza vaccine during either time period.
American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week Press Briefing
Five leaders in the kidney health community are being honored by the American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the world’s largest organization of kidney disease specialists.
The American Society of Nephrology (ASN), will bestow the President’s Medal to Griffin P. Rodgers, MD, MACP, for his leadership in kidney research and advocacy.
• Lower perceived quality of patient-physician interaction was associated with a higher risk of hospitalization in Hispanics with chronic kidney disease. • Quality of patient-physician interaction was not associated with risk of developing kidney failure or dying.
To further its mission of facilitating timely and broad dissemination of kidney science, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) today announced an addition to its journal portfolio, Kidney360. The journal will available online monthly beginning January 2020.
• In a study of young adults with kidney failure, poor wellbeing and lower medication adherence were both associated with psychological morbidity. • Dialysis treatment (vs. kidney transplantation) was associated with poorer wellbeing and medication adherence.
In 2016, the ASN Foundation for Kidney Research launched the Securing the Future Campaign with the goal to endow the Career Development Grants Program. The campaign has since raised more than $22 million through generous contributions from industry, individual donors, and the American Society of Nephrology (ASN).
The American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the world’s largest organization of kidney health professionals, released a new report on the annual survey of nephrology fellows authored by George Washington University (GW) researchers.
• Certain parameters measured by ultrasound helped predict the success of an arteriovenous fistula, the preferred type of hemodialysis vascular access, in individual patients.
• In a multi-ethnic study of individuals without kidney disease, high blood levels of an inflammatory marker, sTNFR-1, were associated with greater kidney function decline over time. • This association was independent of previously known risk factors for kidney disease progression and persisted across multiple sub-groups of participants.
The American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the world’s largest organization of kidney health professionals, released a new analysis of early career nephrologists authored by George Washington University (GW) researchers. GW’s report details significant differences between nephrologists beginning their careers in group practices compared to those starting in academic positions. The report noted the differences between these two groups of nephrologists included income, hours worked, job satisfaction, and whether they would recommend the specialty. More than 40 million Americans have kidney diseases, the 9th leading cause of death in the U.S.
Participants from Congress, HHS, NIH, and the kidney community discussed greater coordination among public and private institutions to increase innovation in kidney care and research
• Among patients with kidney failure on dialysis, use of proton pump inhibitors was associated with a 19% higher risk of hip fracture. The association remained within subgroups of low, moderate, and high use, yielding of 16%, 21%, and 19% greater risks, respectively. • Histamine-2 receptor antagonists were not associated with hip fracture events.
The prevalence of kidney diseases in the United States is at a record high. As such, members of “kidney community” healthcare groups, including the American Society of Nephrology (ASN), will meet with Congress on Capitol Hill to commend them for a $2 billion funding increase for the NIH with an at least proportional increase for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and advocate for increased innovation in kidney medicine, including the Kidney Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX), and passage of the Living Donor Protection Act of 2017 (H.R. 1270).
• Among children on dialysis for end-stage kidney failure, patients with vasculitis, ischemic kidney failure, and hemolytic uremic syndrome were most likely to regain kidney function and no longer need dialysis. • Younger age and initiation on hemodialysis instead of peritoneal dialysis were also associated with recovery of kidney function.
Scientists, clinicians, and other members of the international kidney health community will join forces in sunny southern California this October 23–28 for the American Society of Nephrology’s (ASN) Kidney Week 2018. Held in San Diego, this largest event of its kind offers a forum to share and hear advances in basic, clinical, and translational research, and to discover the latest innovations in clinical practice.
• On the 10th anniversary of the Renal Fellow Network (RFN), one of the first nephrology blogs, the American Society of Nephrology has created a partnership with RFN to continue its legacy and forge new opportunities.
In an analysis of all relevant studies, exposure to environmental toxins called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances was linked to worse kidney function and other signs of kidney damage.
American Society of Nephrology (ASN) publications contribute to the improved health of more than 850,000,000 people worldwide affected by kidney diseases—including 40 million Americans.
•On a national level, implementation of antimicrobial stewardships in outpatient dialysis facilities would result in 2182 fewer infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile (a 4.8% reduction) per year. • It would also lead to 629 fewer infection-related deaths (a 4.6% reduction) and a cost savings of $99,804,603 (a 4.7% reduction) per year.
• Older adults who initiate dialysis for kidney failure face a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. • Certain risk factors were linked this higher risk. • Older hemodialysis patients with a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease had a high risk of early death.
• In an interview study of kidney specialists, 4 different approaches to discussing the option of dialysis versus conservative management for older patients with kidney failure were evident. • Nephrologists should reflect on their approach and understand the strengths and weaknesses of each.
The ASN Foundation for Kidney Research provides more than $3 million in funding for clinical and basic research for members at all stages of their careers.
• Among individuals with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, those who were treated with tolvaptan for up to 11 years had a slower rate of kidney function decline compared with historical controls. • Annualized kidney function decline rates of tolvaptan-treated patients did not change during follow-up.
• Compared with warfarin use, direct oral anticoagulant use was linked with a 23% higher risk of bleeding in patients with chronic kidney disease. • There was no difference between direct oral anticoagulant and warfarin users in benefits from prevention of ischemic stroke.
Bloodstream infections can be life-threatening to individuals undergoing kidney dialysis. Following infection control procedures is critical, yet best practices may not always occur at busy dialysis facilities.
The Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) maintains its prominent position in the field of nephrology in Impact Factor for 2017, with a score of 8.7 according to Journal Citation Reports® (JCR). This Impact Factor reflects the journal’s influence, based on the average annual number of citations in 2017 to articles published in a journal during 2015 and 2016.
• A synthetic adeno-associated virus was highly efficient at delivering genetic material to different kidney cell types in mice and humans. • The viral vector was also successfully used in gene therapy strategies to treat mice with kidney scarring.
• Patients with advanced kidney disease described feelings of isolation, abandonment, alienation, mistrust, and even self-blame that would likely be surprising to the clinicians taking care of them.
Kidney diseases have so far been underestimated in many respects: most people are not aware of their impaired kidney function. In general, kidney diseases are “silent diseases”, most often there are no apparent early symptoms. Many people with kidney diseases are not aware that they have been living with higher risks of cardiovascular diseases, infections, hospitalizations, and of course kidney failure which requires dialysis or transplantation.
• In states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act to cover more low-income individuals, there was an increase in the number of Medicaid beneficiaries who were preemptively waitlisted to receive a kidney transplant. • Medicaid expansion was associated with greater gains racial and ethnic minorities in being listed pre-emptively on the transplant waitlist compared with whites.
• The blood pressure–lowering medication ramipril reduced protein excretion—or proteinuria—in children with chronic kidney disease. • Greater reductions in proteinuria during the first months of treatment were linked with a lower risk of kidney disease progression.
The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) greatly appreciates the subcommittee’s continued support of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a key national priority with an increase of $1.2 billion, or 3.2%, in the FY 2019 Labor-HHS spending bill. ASN is also grateful for the proposed 1.2% increase for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), for a total allocation of $1.9 billion.
• Researchers have identified genetic variants linked to an increased risk of developing nephrotic syndrome, a pediatric kidney disease. • The variants are found in genomic regions involved in regulation of the immune response.
• Among individuals with chronic kidney disease, hard illicit drug use was associated with higher risks of kidney disease progression and early death. • Tobacco smoking was associated with a higher risk of early death. • Alcohol drinking was associated with a lower risk of early death.
• Among living kidney donors, the post-donation concern that was considered most important was kidney health, followed by the surgical, lifestyle, functional, and psychosocial impacts of donation. • The hypothetical long-term risks associated with kidney removal—including mortality and cardiovascular disease—were of relatively lower importance.
• A secondary analysis of a clinical trial has shown that when all patients with type 2 diabetes received comparable diabetes-related care, black race was not associated with accelerated kidney function decline, and fewer black participants developed chronic kidney disease.
• Among hospitalized adults, those who experienced acute kidney injury were 44% more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure in the year after discharge.
• Use of oral antibiotics was linked with an increased risk of developing kidney stones. • Risk decreased over time but was still elevated several years after antibiotic use. • Risk was highest for young patients.
Among individuals with chronic kidney disease, those who slept 7 hours/day had higher health-related quality of life than those who slept ≤5 hours/day or ≥9 hours/day.
The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Kidney Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX). KidneyX will spur the development and commercialization of innovative technologies and therapeutics in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney diseases.
• Sixty-four percent of US patients undergoing hemodialysis in 2011 received opioids for pain, which is one of the most common reported symptoms in this patient population. • Opioid use was associated with higher risks of altered mental status, fall, and fracture in a dose-dependent manner, and these risks were present even when patients were not prescribed high opioid doses.
• Among 655 healthcare providers at dialysis clinics in the United States, 19% were aware of racial disparities in waitlisting. • Although a quarter of dialysis facilities had >5% racial difference in waitlisting within their own facilities, only 5% of the providers were aware of the disparity at their own facilities.
• The risk of death due to infectious causes after kidney transplantation in Finland has dropped by half since the 1990s. • Common bacterial infections remain the most frequent cause of infection-related deaths among transplant recipients.
Advocates from the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) are meeting with representatives, senators, and their respective staffs today to urge Congress to support KidneyX, a new public-private partnership to accelerate innovation in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney diseases.
• Disadvantaged patients with kidney failure who received guidance from a trained navigator with a degree in social work were more likely to be eventually put on the transplant waiting list than control patients. • The difference in waitlisting among intervention vs. control patients became evident only after 500 days, however, at which point intervention patients were 3.3 times more likely to be waitlisted after 500 days.
• Kidney failure patients undergoing hemodialysis are vulnerable to infectious threats, many of which may be life-threatening and spread to others in dialysis facilities • New articles provide important information on infections and their prevention in patients undergoing hemodialysis and transmission in dialysis facilities.
Highlight • In a study of Black Americans who participated in focus group sessions, certain participant factors—such as knowledge of kidney disease and spiritual and cultural influences—and logistical factors—such as convenience and awareness of scheduling—were identified as barriers that may prevent Black Americans from being screened for kidney disease.
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