Tag Archives: chronic kidney disease

SAPIEN valve positive results Clinicians have achieved successful one-year outcomes in high-risk or inoperable patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement during the first two years since release of the valve (Sapien®, Edwards) commercially, according to results presented at the Euro PCR 2001 meeting in Paris, France. Despite high predicted mortality and multiple co-morbidities in many of these patients, survival at one year was 76% in the 1,038 patients treated as part of Cohort I (first year of commercialisation), and 77% in the 1,269 patients treated as part of Cohort II (second year of commercialisation).  Since November

Epidemiology of anaemia in CKD The likelihood of anaemia occurring in CKD increases as renal function declines. All patients receiving haemodialysis therapy will require treatment for anaemia, and so too will almost all of those receiving peritoneal dialysis (the difference accounted for by haemodialysis exposing the patient to a greater inflammatory state, and also regular minor blood losses). Below a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 45 ml/min, erythropoietin secretion by the kidney declines and when patients enter stage 4 CKD (eGFR < 30 ml/min), around 30–40% will be anaemic. Aetiology of anaemia in CKD Figure 1. Factors contributi

Controversial salt paper published A new European study has caused controversy by suggesting that lowering salt intake may not be beneficial. The study, published recently in JAMA (May 4th 2011 issue), was conducted by a team from the University of Leuven, Belgium. They followed 3,681 participants who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline for a median of 7.9 years, and found an inverse relationship between cardiovascular deaths and 24-hour sodium excretion (which correlates to salt intake), although systolic blood pressure was higher with higher salt intake. But an editorial in the Lancet (May 12th 2011 issue) criticises the study,

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The Tsars’ view Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is “common, harmful and treatable”, in the words of Dr Donal O’Donoghue, the UK’s National Director for Kidney Services. Surveys have indicated that as many as 16% of the adult population have some marker of kidney disease and it is estimated that over three million people in the UK are under threat from CKD. Over 13,000 die annually from conditions affecting the kidney and almost half of all CKD deaths are from cardiovascular causes. CKD is largely a disease of the elderly but some ethnic groups have particularly high rates. In a typical GP practice of 10,000 patients, about 380 OF of t

Introduction Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.1 Almost half of all deaths in patients with CKD are caused by cardiovascular events2 and, in diabetic subjects, mortality increases significantly with reduced kidney function.3 As part of the National Service Framework for Renal Services, CKD was added in February 2006 to the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for primary care in the UK. Within this, up to 27 points can be earned for the production of a register of patients with stage 3–5 CKD and the appropriate monitoring and treatment of hypertension and prescription of angiotensin-conver