In a recent paper by Gandhi, 2023, a patient with COVAN (COVID-19-associated nephropathy) was described. The term ‘COVAN’ has been used to describe collapsing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in people who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. This helps differentiate it from the majority of cases of acute kidney injury in COVID-19 patients, which are typically […]
What is HIVAN (HIV-associated nephropathy)? History AIDS was first reported in 1981.The first reported cases of HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) were described in 1984. Thus it was described early in the HIV epidemic in the USA, especially in urban centers serving large numbers of HIV-positive people of African descent. In the early 1990’s, HIVAN was the
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What is fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD)? Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a rare medical condition. It is a non-atherosclerotic, non-inflammatory vascular disease leading to arterial stenosis (blockage), aneurysm (abnormal bulges) and dissection (splitting) of small- to medium-sized arteries. The most frequently affected arteries are renal (75- 80%) and cervical arteries (75%); but FMD has also been reported
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What are kidney cysts? Kidney cysts are round pouches of fluid that form on or in the kidneys. Most often, kidney cysts are a type called simple kidney cysts. Simple kidney cysts aren’t cancer and rarely cause problems. It is not clear what causes simple kidney cysts. And its normal to have 3 or more
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AKI in patients with COVID-19, influenza, and RSV: age, comorbidities and outcomes Why this important? Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is known to be a complication of moderate-severe COVID-19. This may be partly due to penetration of kidney cells by the virus through something called the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 receptor. Nevertheless, other common
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Gitelman Syndrome – overview Gitelman syndrome (GS) is an inherited (autosomal recessive) salt-losing kidney disease characterised by: Increased potassium loss in the urine Hypokalaemia and hypomagnesaemia = low potassium and magnesium (both electrolytes/minerals)in the blood Alkalosis = too much alkali in the blood Hypocalciuria = not enough calcium in the urine. The abnormality is in
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Monkey survives for two years after pig kidney transplant Why is this important? Around 5,000 people in the UK are waiting for a kidney transplant at any time, yet only around 3,600 transplants are carried out each year. The average wait for a deceased donor kidney transplant in the UK is 2-3 years (NHS Blood
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I’ve just been diagnosed with CKD – what should I do? Here are five things to do. 1. Don’t panic Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 2. See your GP Make a face to face appointment with your GP in the next 2-3 days. In an ideal world you should get a ‘double
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How common is CKD? About 1 in 10 people have CKD, i.e. its very common. But (the big BUT). Fortunately in most people, it is mild and more of a risk factor than disease. However, in 1 in 100 people with CKD, kidney function gets worse over time, and develop kidney failure (stage 5 CKD).
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What is the urinary tract? The urinary tract is the body’s drainage system for removing urine, which contains wastes and extra water. For normal urination (weeing) to occur, all body parts in the urinary tract need to work together, and in the correct order. The urinary tract includes two kidneys, two ureters, a bladder,
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