It is new technology called “liver in a box,” and it’s improving outcomes for patients who receive lifesaving transplants.
April is National Donate Life Month, which helps raise awareness about the importance of organ donation. According to Lifesource, more than 11,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a lifesaving liver donation. Read more in Medical Xpress.
The retrovirus coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a profound impact on all facets of the medical industry. Media and medical experts alike have held a keen focus on, and have requested the aid of otolaryngologists, virologists, and general respiratory equipment. However, many auxiliary branches of medicine are being affected by the COVID-19 virus. Read the complete article in News Medical.
It can be hard to ask for help, even in times of great need. We worry about being rejected, relinquishing control, or showing vulnerability. It’s just human nature.
So, imagine asking someone to donate a piece of themselves, literally, to help you. It takes a special kind of courage for patients in need of a transplant to ask friends, family, or the universe at large to donate a kidney or part of their liver to save their life.
Read more in Texas Metro News.
patients self-identified as “Hispanic/Latinx” face when considering home dialysis, according to a study presented at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings.
“Latinx people experience a faster progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and a higher incidence of ESKD compared to non-Latinx white individuals but are less likely to do home dialysis,” Katherine Rizzolo, MD, a nephrology fellow at University of Colorado Health, and colleagues wrote. “The motivations and barriers to home therapies for Latinx patients with ESKD has not been elicited.”
Read more in Healio.
Ability to travel increases a kidney transplant candidate’s access to kidney transplantation and improves the patient’s long-term survival, according to data published in the American Journal of Transplantation.
Further, those who travel for kidney transplantation tend to be white and live in an area with a low poverty rate. Read the complete article in Healio.
Patients with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease or recipients of kidney transplants are at increased risk for cancer, according to data published in the American Journal of Kidney Disease.
“We sought to characterize the burden of cancer diagnoses and cancer deaths among patients with kidney disease and determine whether their risk was increased vs. patients with normal kidney function,” Abhijat Kitchlu, MD, MSc, a staff nephrologist and clinician investigator at the University Health Network and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, told Healio. “We also assessed whether patients with kidney disease were found to have more advanced cancer stage when they were diagnosed.”
Read the full story in Healio.
A new study published in Sleep Medicine highlights an uptrend in sleep-related mortality and associated cardiovascular disease outcomes among Black men in the U.S.
“Overall, a steady increase in mortality was seen from 1999 to 2008, but the rate remained flat throughout the remainder of the study period. This pattern was observed in Black females and both genders for whites. However, Black males are the only demographic group that had a continuous increase in mortality between 1999 and 2019,”Yu-Che Lee,MD, MPH, resident physician in the department of medicine at the University of Buffalo-Catholic Health System, New York, and colleagues wrote. Read the story in Healio.
BOSTON — Patients with chronic kidney disease reported the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected their mental health and quality of health care, according to a poster presented at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings.
“We did a study to look at the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and the quality of health care in patients with diabetes,” Neil Roy, MBBS, from the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, told Healio. Read the full story in Healio.
April is National Donate Life Month. It’s observed to help raise awareness about the importance of organ donation.
In the U.S., it’s estimated that 4.5 million adults are diagnosed with chronic liver disease. It develops over time and may be caused by a number of conditions including, hepatitis, genetics, alcohol overuse or cancer. Chronic liver disease is different than acute liver disease, which can come on quickly and may be the result of an injury or a virus. Read the full story from the Mayo Clinic here.
According to research published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, people with kidney disease who consume more plant protein have a lower risk of death. Even a 33% increase in the ratio of plant protein to total protein has shown benefits.
In this episode of Hot Topics, Brittany Sparks, registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in renal nutrition, and Eric Singer, a whole-foods, plant-based diet advocate living with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), discuss the many benefits of plant-based diets. They also bust some common myths people may have about kidney disease and eating plant-based diets. Read the full story from National Kidney Foundation.