Health News

The Color of Dialysis
For some time, studies have suggested that African-Americans do better on dialysis than whites. Such findings have affected practices guiding who gets kidney transplants. Now, those practices may need to change.
Small Scars for a Big Gift
Kidney transplants usually have a better chance of surviving if the organ comes from a living donor. With the number of living donor transplants on the rise, researchers are looking for ways to make the surgery easier on donors.
Seeing Sudden Death on Dialysis
When a diabetes patient's kidneys fail, that patient has to be put on dialysis. These patients may be at risk of having their heart suddenly stop. Now, researchers have found a way to spot who is most at risk.
Spotting the Silent Kidney Killer
The sooner kidney disease is spotted in a patient, the better chance that patient has of avoiding death. Now, there appears to be a way to detecting kidney disease even in those without signs of the disease.
What's the Best Cocktail for Transplants?
Even if a patient gets a new kidney, it is not the end of the fight against kidney disease. That patient's body can still reject the new organ. Now, researchers know which drugs work best to stop this from happening.
Staying Alive after a Kidney Transplant
Kidney disease patients can wait years before they get a transplant. Even when they get a new organ, their body might reject it. Now, there is a way to make patient's bodies more accepting of transplants.
Patients Receive Blood Vessels Made From Donor Cells
Three patients with end stage renal disease mark the first to successfully receive blood vessels engineered in a lab from human skin cells. Following additional testing, "off the shelf" blood vessels could be as readily available as medical gauze.
Nighttime Blood Pressure Shows Risk
Knowing that you're at risk for certain health problems makes it easier to take steps to avoid those problems. Now, kidney disease patients have a way to know if they are headed for trouble.
No Good News for Lupus Patients' Kidneys
In recent years, treatment for lupus nephritis (kidney damage caused by lupus) has gotten better. Yet outcomes for many patients with the disease still do not look good.
Take Control with Dialysis at Home
When a person suffers kidney failure, their kidneys can no longer remove waste from the body. The best fix for kidney failure is an organ transplant, but the wait for a new kidney can take years.