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NKF keynote speaker discusses racial disparities, how to eliminate these in health care

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BOSTON — The keynote speaker at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings discussed racial disparities in the United States and how physicians can change their practices and political behavior to achieve health equity.

“COVID-19 had a huge impact on the United States population in general, but Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians and Pacific Islanders have had an age-adjusted death rate that is at least twice as high as that of whites,” David R. Williams, PhD, MPH, professor at Harvard University, said during his presentation. Read the full story in Healio here.

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Donors and recipients in six-way kidney transplant meet for first time

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Single donor triggers multiple transplants via ‘paired exchange’ approach

(SACRAMENTO)

The average time a person spends on the waiting list for a kidney transplant is two-and-a-half to three years. But thanks to one selfless individual willing to give life to another, three people in Sacramento did not have to endure that wait. 

Donors and recipients who participated in a six-way ‘chain’ kidney transplant at UC Davis Medical Center had the opportunity to meet one another for the first time at a celebration held during National Donate Life Month. Read the story from UC Davis Health.

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American Kidney Fund: Diversity and inclusion for Veterans

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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated to affect one in six Veterans.

There are currently approximately 500,000 Veterans diagnosed with CKD. That number is likely to increase by 30,000 people next year.

Michael Spigler is vice president of Patient Services and Kidney Disease Education at the American Kidney Fund (AKF). He notes that the partnership with VA brings awareness and resources to Veterans.

“Kidney disease is the fastest growing, noncommunicable disease (a disease that is not contagious) in the U.S., yet 90% of Americans, including Veterans, who have kidney disease are unaware they have early stages.” Read the full story in Vantage Point.

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CareDx Reports Over 200,000 Heart Transplant Patient Results Served

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CareDx Testing Services Have Been Used in Over 30,000 Heart Transplant Patients and Over 90 Percent of Centers in the United States

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., April 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CareDx, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNA) – The Transplant Company™ focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value healthcare solutions for transplant patients and caregivers – today announced that it has delivered over 200,000 AlloMap® or AlloSure® results for over 30,000 heart transplant recipients.1

“We are proud to have a long-standing and trusted relationship with the heart transplant community. Since 2005, we have served half of all heart transplant patients in the U.S. with AlloMap or AlloSure, and AlloMap has the distinction of being the only FDA cleared gene-expression profiling test (GEP) for use in heart transplants, the only GEP incorporated in International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation guidelines, and the only one covered by CMS for multimodality assessment using AlloSure donor-derived cell-free DNA,” said Reg Seeto, CEO and President of CareDx. “Importantly, we have earned this trust by conducting multi-center prospective studies that have been published in leading journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine.”
Read the complete press release on CareDx.com here.

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Pulmonary hypertension common in kidney transplant recipients

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Patients with pulmonary hypertension who underwent kidney transplantation had similar posttransplant outcomes at 5 years compared with those without pretransplant pulmonary hypertension, researchers reported in Pulmonary Circulation.

“Pulmonary hypertension more than doubles the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular-specific mortality in those on dialysis, and it increases the risk of adverse perioperative outcomes including death in noncardiac surgeries irrespective of kidney function. 
Read the full article in Healio.

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Study Supports Expanded Use of HCV-Infected Liver Donation

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– Post-transplant survival similar between recipients with active or prior HCV infection

With the advent of direct-acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the post-liver transplant setting, we are seeing more and more HCV-infected donor livers offered to patients awaiting liver transplant. Post-liver transplant outcomes for patients with HCV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who receive HCV-infected donor livers are not well established.

A recent study, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, utilized the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry to classify patients with HCV-related HCC (with either prior infection or active viremia) who received HCV-infected donor livers. Overall, the post-liver transplant survival outcomes were similar between recipients with active HCV infection and those with prior infection. Clinically, this study supports consideration of expanded use of HCV-infected liver donation to improve access to liver transplantation. Read more on MedPage Today.

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How organ donations broke records even during the pandemic

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Last fall, Jeff Hackman’s kidney disease turned serious. He felt tired all the time, got winded easily. Years earlier, his older sister, Dawn Martin of Marietta, made a promise: when the time comes, she would gladly donate one of hers. Within a few months, the siblings, who were a good match, passed a battery of tests, and a surgery date was set for Dec. 8.

But with omicron sweeping through the country at a dizzying pace, the siblings were filled with worry about the timing for this life-saving procedure, concerned the pandemic could delay the surgery or even thwart the procedure indefinitely. Click here to read the story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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New study reveals that healthy plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes

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New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) finds that the consumption of healthy plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, coffee, and legumes, is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) in generally healthy people and support their role in diabetes prevention. Read the study in ScienceDaily here.

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Low-Salt Diet Helpful for HF Symptoms, but Not Necessarily for Clinical Events

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— Sodium restriction still holds its ground in SODIUM-HF trial


WASHINGTON — A dietary intervention reduced sodium intake, but did not reduce clinical events, for people with heart failure (HF), according to the SODIUM-HF trial.

Between patients randomized to a low-sodium diet or usual care for 12 months, there was no statistically significant difference in the combined outcome of cardiovascular-related admissions to hospital, cardiovascular-related emergency department visits, and all-cause death in the trial (15% vs 17%, HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.63-1.26), reported Justin Ezekowitz, MBBCh, of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. Read more in MedPage Today.

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Hepatitis C and Kidney Transplants: Possibilities, Risks, and Outlook

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Hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes liver damage. It’s spread through contaminated blood, for example, if you inject drugs with a needle that was used by someone with the virus.

It doesn’t typically cause symptoms right away, so it’s hard to know if you have it. Over time, though, the hepatitis C virus (HCV) can start to affect your liver function, leading to symptoms like fatigue and jaundice. Read the full story in Healthline here.

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