Kidney Disease

Kidney Care Partners recently introduced John P. Butler as its new chair.

Northwest Kidney Centers has named Rebecca Cofinas Fox, MPH, as its new president and CEO. Cofinas Fox will begin her role on March 23, according to a press release.

Monitoring proteinuria levels after hospitalization for acute kidney injury may be helpful in predicting subsequent risk for kidney disease progression, according to study results.

The American Kidney Fund recently announced it will convene a summit of scientists, patients, and academic and industry researchers in spring 2020 to advance the diagnosis and treatment of the underlying causes of kidney diseases, according to a press release from the AKF.

Published findings indicate many African American patients with kidney disease lack knowledge of, and access to, renal replacement therapies other than in-center hemodialysis.

The risk for major adverse CV events after recent ACS could be predicted by baseline lipoprotein(a) and corrected LDL levels and their reductions with alirocumab, according to an analysis of the ODYSSEY Outcomes trial published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

A recent poll commissioned by the National Kidney Foundation revealed that most Americans with at least one risk factor for kidney disease did not know they had an elevated risk, similar to a previous survey by the NKF that showed a lack of awareness regarding the link between diabetes and kidney disease. However, these results also demonstrated that once patients learned of the associated risk with their comorbidity, they were more likely to seek additional information from their physicians and make behavioral changes to aid in prevention.

Nearly 55% of those born prematurely survive through early or mid-adulthood without a major comorbidity, according to data from a national cohort study published in JAMA.

With the prevalence of kidney disease expected to increase sharply in the next decade, the U.S. health care system is facing a significant challenge in how to care for these patients without further stressing an already beleaguered system. One idea that has gained traction is the prospect of shifting appropriately selected patients to home-based dialysis, either home hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.

After a near 20-year absence, the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week arrives in Washington for its annual meeting. Organizers expect approximately 13,000 kidney professionals at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to network with colleagues and learn the latest developments in research and treatment. It is an opportunity for those who care for patients with kidney disease to share their work, learn about the latest advances in the specialty, develop new collaborations and listen to provocative exchanges between leading experts.