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Vaccination in patients with kidney failure: lessons from COVID-19

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Infection is the second leading cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Adequate humoral (antibody) and cellular (T cell-driven) immunity are required to minimize pathogen entry and promote pathogen clearance to enable infection control. Vaccination can generate cellular and humoral immunity against specific pathogens and is used to prevent many life-threatening infectious diseases. Read more in Nature Reviews Nephrology.

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Patient Preferences for Choices in Kidney Transplant Examined

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MONDAY, Aug. 22, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Patients are willing to receive a worse-quality kidney sooner in order to avoid additional waiting time for transplant, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Sanjay Mehrota, Ph.D., from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and colleagues used a discrete-choice experiment that presented a deceased donor kidney to 605 patients who are waiting for or have received a kidney transplant. Read more in Physician’s Weekly.

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Age-Related Kidney Function Loss Differs Significantly by Gender

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— Age- and sex-adjusted definitions of chronic kidney disease may be necessary, researchers say

A population-based study investigating gender differences in kidney function found that women had lower function at baseline, but that men’s function declined faster, especially at older ages. The results suggest the need for age- and sex-adjusted definitions of kidney disease, the researchers said.

Among 1,837 people ages 50-62, who were representative of the general population, the mean glomerular filtration rates (GFR) at baseline were 90 and 98 mL/min/1.73 m2 for women and men, respectively (P<0.001). Read the full story in MedPage Today.

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Meet Colette Hurd, Northwestern’s 1st transplant recipient of organs that weren’t a match. An immunosuppression strategy is key to her success.

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It was 422 days at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

That’s the length of Ashburn-area resident Colette Hurd’s stay due to her idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, a condition that affects blood vessels in the lungs and the right side of the heart and causes the heart and lungs to weaken over time.
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

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Pediatric kidney transplant patients fare better when kidney is from live donor

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(SACRAMENTO) Do pediatric kidney transplant patients have better long-term outcomes when their kidney comes from living, biologically unrelated donors compared to deceased donors?

A new UC Davis Health study finds that they do. The study reviewed data from the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network database from Jan. 1, 2001 to Sept. 30, 2021. Researchers compared the rates of graft failure (when the organ is rejected by the recipient) and death, as well as long-term outcomes of children who received kidney transplants from living related donors, living unrelated donors and deceased donors.
Read more from UC Davis Health News.

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Travel Tips: A Guide for Kidney Patients

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For many patients who are on dialysis or have had a kidney transplant, the ability to travel is important to their self-esteem and lifestyle. Working patients may need to attend business meetings or conferences. Older patients may have dreamed of traveling during their retirement. A family event such as a wedding, graduation or family reunion may require travel away from home. At times, emergencies such as illness or a death in the family may require travel. Read more from the National Kidney Foundation.

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Doctor donates kidney to patient

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Transplant nephrologist was perfect match for patient-turned-friend.

It’s rare that a transplant nephrologist becomes a kidney donor — but that’s exactly what happened to Dr. Aji Djamali last month.

Not long into his journey to becoming a nephrologist and surgeon, Djamali knew he wanted to donate his kidney. With the rare blood type B, he knew he could make an ideal match for a patient one day. Read or watch the story from ABC News here.

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