APOL1 kidney risk variants and long-term kidney function in healthy middle-aged Black individuals Black patients with kidney disease carrying 2 variants of the apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene (referred to as ‘low-risk; and ‘high-risk’ genotypes), experience an accelerated decline in kidney function, if they develop CKD. It is unknown whether these genotypes negatively affects kidney function […]
Nikki’s Story: Part 4, The Final Chapter – The Bright Side of Life The Bright Side of Life It was 2009. I’d put the hideous transplant saga behind me and moved back to the school where my career began as a parent helper in the 90’s. I loved it and made some fantastic friends. The
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If you are a patient on the transplant list, you may find this a harrowing read. Some people may have two, three or more transplants in their lifetime. March 2007. The Proclaimers were walking 500 miles at number one in the charts. I was working at a lovely primary school in a nearby village
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) after ingestion of red yeast rice supplement In Japan recently, Miyasaki, 2024 published a report of AKI in a patient, related to an unlicensed food supplement. Red yeast rice Why is this important? More and more unlicensed food supplements are now easy to obtain via the internet. Many claim to be
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Once I started dialysis in 1990, my life improved considerably. After the last four years of struggling to manage my FSGS despite several hospital admissions, I was beginning to feel well again. The dialysis machine fascinated me. It was a Gambro AK10; it had a little tube at the front which, if I ultrafiltrated
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Can an implantable artificial kidney finally free patients from dialysis? In a recent article Kim, 2023 describe their groups work on a new approach to treating kidney failure (CKD5); that could one day free people from needing dialysis, or having to take harsh drugs to suppress their immune system after a transplant. Why is this important?
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I should begin by introducing myself. My name is Nikki Fretwell and I’m part of the patient expert team here on CKDExplained. I’m currently one of the UK’s longest surviving, non-transplanted dialysis patients, having clocked up thirty-four years so far. I’m also the first dialysis patient worldwide to conceive and successfully give birth. There are
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SGLT2is linked to lower risk of kidney stones In a recent study Paik, 2024 looked at the risk of kidney stones in patients with type 2 diabetes on SGLT2is, and compared them to patients on alternative drugs for diabetes. Why is this important? Type 2 diabetes (DM2) is associated with an increased risk of kidney
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Sara’s story – the reality of being a kidney donor My name is Sara, and I am 36 years old. Originally from the countryside on the Essex/Suffolk border, I now live in Southend-on-Sea with my husband, Chris. I met Chris 11 years ago after we had been chatting online for months through a mutual friend.
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New drug candidate shrinks kidney cysts in polycystic kidney disease (PKD) In a recent study on animals and cells by Fedeles, 2024, a compound originally developed as a cancer treatment, was shown to hold promise for patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The kidneys in PKD can become very big Why is this
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