Renault Ireland has presented a Renault Captur 1.5 dCi Intense to Rathfarnham man Michael Mangan of Patient 2 Patient Shared Experiences which is a non-profit, patient-focused organisation that provides non-medical advice to those affected by chronic kidney disease, writes Trish Whelan.

The free support service offers patients the opportunity to discuss their condition, feelings and treatment with fellow patients who have already been through the experience.

Patient Support Co-ordinator Michael says that the new Renault Captur is a huge asset in allowing him to meet up with patients who are on dialysis and awaiting kidney transplants.

“I use the experiences of my illness along with other patients who have had successful transplants to help new patients deal with the many challenges that lie ahead for them.”

The married father of three from Rathfarnham has had two kidney transplants over a 20 year period and he now needs a third kidney.

Pictured above at the handover of the Renault Captur at Renault Belgard are David Hickey, the Director of the National Kidney & Pancreas Transplant Program, who has performed over 1500 transplants; Michael Mangan; and Lynne Boucher, Marketing Manager, Renault Group Ireland.

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U.S. Renal Care hosted a grand opening at its new facility at the Parkway Place Plaza on Tuesday.

Parkway Place Plaza is located at 1826 Parkway Drive in East Lubbock and is partly managed by the North & East Lubbock Community Development Corporation.

According to a news release, U.S. Renal Care executed a 10-year lease at the beginning of 2015. Care providers at the new dialysis center began seeing its first patients on May 4. They currently only serve patients with private insurance providers, but are seeking approval to accept Medicare patients, according to the news release.

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Proteinuria, high blood pressure, and anemiaare major risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, a new Japanese study confirms.

In addition, hyperphosphatemia and hyperuricemia—which are other time-dependent factors that change with the natural course of CKD and treatment—emerged as important potential targets for clinical intervention.

For the retrospective study, investigators led by Shunya Uchida, MD, of Teikyo University in Tokyo, calculated the yearly decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) for 770 male and female patients with CKD stages 3 or 4 and correlated eGFR with follow-up laboratory results taken every 1–3 months for an average of 4 years (prior to dialysis initiation). The researchers looked at a host of blood and urinary parameters, such as hemoglobin, albumin, nitrogen, creatinine, hematuria, uric acid, sodium, potassium, phosphate, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and C-reactive protein.

According to results published online in Clinical and Experimental Nephrology, risk factors strongly associated with more rapid decline in eGFR included proteinuria, hyperphosphatemia, and anemia, suggesting these factors could be targets for intervention. Older age, lower albumin, and higher hemoglobin appeared to be protective.

The investigators speculated that higher phosphorus levels and subsequent calcium deposits may contribute to arterial sclerosis.

The study also found that men with CKD experience more rapid decline in kidney function than women (average eGFR decline 2.83 vs. 1.66 mL/min/1.73 m² per year).

Limitations of the study included lack of information about medication usage (other than antihypertensive drugs), genetic factors, and parameters related to CKD mineral bone disease.

Source

Chang, W, et al. Clin Exp Nephrol, June 2015; doi: 10.1007/s10157-015-1132-0.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10157-015-1132-0

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