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National Kidney Foundation and Labcorp Data Show Millions Aren’t Tested for Kidney Disease

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“New data suggest that millions of patients most at-risk for life-threatening kidney disease are unaware they have it because they are not tested according to clinical practice guidelines despite their risk. The study, by authors from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and Labcorp, appears today in the journal Diabetes Care.

In the study, “Chronic Kidney Disease Testing (CKD) Among At-Risk Adults in the U.S. Remains Low: Real-World Evidence from a National Laboratory Database,” investigators reviewed laboratory ordered CKD tests from more than 28 million patients with diabetes, hypertension (also known as high blood pressure), or both, that were tested by Labcorp between 2013 and 2018.”

Read more, here.

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Antibody Response After a Third Dose of the Vaccine in Kidney Transplant Recipients With Minimal Serologic Response to 2 Doses

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“Studies have reported low seroconversion rates (58% after the second dose) in solid organ transplant recipients who received a messenger RNA (mRNA) SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.1,2 Based on this evidence, the French National Authority for Health issued a recommendation in April 2021 to administer a third vaccine dose in immunosuppressed patients who did not respond after 2 doses. We examined the antibody responses of kidney transplant recipients who did not respond to 2 doses and received a third dose (100 μg) of the mRNA-1273 vaccine (Moderna).

Methods

All kidney transplant recipients followed up in the outpatient Kidney Transplantation Department of Strasbourg University Hospital between January 20, 2021, and June 3, 2021, with a negative history for COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 antispike IgG levels less than 50 arbitrary units (AU)/mL on the day of the first vaccine injection and 1 month after the second dose were included. All patients received a third vaccine dose between April 9, 2021, and May 12, 2021. The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committee and written informed consent was obtained.”

Learn more, here.

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DaVita and the NKF Join Forces to Improve Health Equity in Kidney Transplantation

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ilot program to provide education and support for kidney patients seeking living donors

DaVita Kidney Care and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) today announced their collaboration in launching an innovative, yearlong pilot aimed at improving health equity in kidney transplantation with a newly-developed program within NKF’s THE BIG ASK: THE BIG GIVE platform. 

“Many people never find a living donor simply because they are afraid to ask,” said Kevin Longino, CEO, National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant patient. “NKF’s THE BIG ASK: THE BIG GIVE platform helps patients and families learn how to find a living donor and we are grateful to DaVita for their support in helping to reach patients in underserved areas.”

The pilot will take place in Colorado, New York, Minnesota and New Mexico. DaVita and NKF carefully selected these states because each has a unique opportunity to improve health equity in kidney transplantation. In addition, both organizations have a strong, on-the-ground presence in these states, with operational teams that are well connected to the transplant and health care ecosystem. 

Read more here.

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KIDNEY DISEASE AND ORAL HEALTH

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“People with kidney disease should schedule dental visits for days that immediately follow a dialysis day. They should also follow these steps at each dental visit:

List your meds. Be sure that your dentist has a list of all your medications

Premedicate. Most physicians recommend that kidney disease patients take antibiotics before receiving dental treatments because they are at increased risk of infections due to the presence of the shunt used for dialysis. The shunt is a tube that is surgically attached to a blood vessel in the arm or leg of a patient with kidney disease so that it is connected to the dialysis machine during the dialysis process.

Place blood pressure cuff properly. Tell your dental professional or whoever is taking your blood pressure where your shunt is located and be sure that they place the blood pressure cuff on an arm or leg that doesn’t contain the shunt.”

Find out more information, here.

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National Kidney Foundation Recognizes National Mental Health Awareness Month

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“May is National Mental Health Awareness Month and The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) recognizes this important month by calling attention to NKF Peers, a free mentoring program that matches people in late stage kidney disease, those on dialysis or living with a transplant, as well as living donors with mentors who provide one-on-one support to guide them through their kidney health journey.  As COVID-19 cases in the U.S. continue to rise, NKF Peers is more important than ever because people with kidney disease and transplant recipients face a heightened risk for developing serious complications from COVID-19. In addition, people hospitalized with COVID-19 are developing kidney failure and becoming kidney patients. In these incredibly stressful times, the NKF Peers program is available to kidney patients seeking support, information, and understanding from someone who has been in a similar situation.”

Learn more about the NKF Peers program, here.

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The Living Donor Protection Act: What You Need to Know

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“More than ever, living donors are coming forward and generously volunteering to give the gift of life to hundreds of PKD patients across America. These living donors make up a vital portion of the kidney transplants performed in the U.S. each year. About one-third of the kidney transplants in 2020 were living donations.

Right now, there’s no federal legislation protecting living organ donors from losing their jobs just for taking recovery leave for transplant surgery. Living donors also experience higher premiums and even denial of coverage for most forms of insurance. In fact, 25% of living donors are denied or charged more for life insurance.”

Learn more, here.

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Test to Predict Kidney Transplant Rejection Works for Children

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Cedars-Sinai Patient Pioneers Successful Pediatric Use of Test Developed for Adults

“In many ways 19-year-old, Brenna Kahlen is a typical teenager. She is living at home in Newport Beach, working and going to college. But unlike most of her peers, Brenna is a now a medical first.

Brenna was born with a disease known as tuberous sclerosis, which affected her kidneys. At age 11, she had both kidneys surgically removed and was placed on dialysis until she could receive a donated kidney.

The transplant happened in 2013 and Brenna “has done extremely well,” said Dechu Puliyanda, MD  Cedars-Sinai’s director of Pediatric Nephrology and Transplant Immunology, who oversees Brenna’s care”

Read the full story, here.

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New Drug, Positive Results. How Will it Benefit People with Diabetic Kidney Disease?

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“There is promising news for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes—a serious medical condition that is also known as diabetic kidney disease.

Clinical trials have shown finerenone, a pill taken once per day, may prevent diabetic kidney disease from getting worse. Worsening diabetic kidney disease can cause heart problems and kidney failure.

Diabetes and kidney disease

Diabetes damages small blood vessels throughout the body, affecting the kidneys as well as other organs and tissues including skin, nerves, muscles, intestines, and the heart. More than 1 out of 4 adults with diabetes will eventually develop kidney disease, and in the US alone, millions of people already have diabetic kidney disease.

People with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease are three times more likely to die of heart-related causes than those with type 2 diabetes alone. Diabetes is also the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of new cases.”

Read the full post, here.

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Managing Acute Complications with Outpatient Interventions: A Scoping Review

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“Rates of use of emergency departments (ED) and hospital admission are high among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), particularly among patients with CKD requiring dialysis. Patients receiving maintenance dialysis have, on average, three visits to the ED per year, a rate that is three to eight times higher than among the general population. Of those ED visits, a significant proportion result in hospital admission. Further, ED and in-patient care are drivers of medical costs for patients with CKD, and are associated with significant emotional burden for patients and their caregivers.”

Read more, here.

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Removing Race from Estimates of Kidney Function: What Happens Next?

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“The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) announce the concurrent publication of “Special Article: Reassessing the Inclusion of Race in Diagnosing Kidney Diseases: An Interim Report from the NKF-ASN Task Force” in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology(JASN) and the American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD).

The publication in JASN and AJKD provides an essential review of the many challenges relative to identifying and implementing alternative methods to diagnosing kidney diseases. Last month, ASN and NKF asserted that race modifiers should not be included in equations used to estimate kidney function. ASN and NKF also stated that current race-based equations should be replaced by a substitute that is accurate, representative, unbiased, and provides a standardized approach to diagnosing kidney diseases.”

Read the full article, here.

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