In the evaluation of patients with hyponatremia (serum Na less than 135 mEq/L), differentiating hypovolemia from euvolemia is often challenging, particularly if the history and physical findings are unrevealing and frequently leads to misdiagnosis. This conundrum exists even…
Average fructose intake in the U.S. is staggering: Americans currently consume approx. 150 pounds of sugar a year, which is 20 times the amount their European ancestors would have ingested from fruit (Data from USDA). This intake is…
About 40% of patients treated with mycophenolate after transplantation develop GI side-effects, the commonest of which is diarrhea. A number of strategies can be employed to reduce the severity of these complaints. First, the dose can be taken…
KDOQI guidelines emerged in 2002, classifying CKD in 5 stages based on the presence of kidney damage or GFR below 60ml/min, irrespective of cause. This classification increased the awareness of CKD in the general population and placed the…
The May issue of AJKD (Vol.55, No.5) had a nice supplement on TLS and AKI. Here is the link. Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) describes a condition with significant clinical and lab abnormalities caused by rapid and massive tumor…
As a new renal fellow I’ve felt fairly comfortable with the list of NSAID associated renal conditions. But after taking care of a patient this past month with fulminant hepatic failure due to a Tylenol overdose it’s been…
Researchers from the UK published a new and exciting article exploring one of the fundamental mechanisms of blood pressure regulation by the renin-angiotensin-system (RAS). This research was, per the authors, 20 years in the making and was fittingly…
When seeing consults on the maternity floor, figuring out the normal values at the various stages of pregnancy can be a frustrating experience. There are well recognized hemodynamic and biochemical changes which occur from the earliest stages of…
The correct answer is D. The criteria for expanded-criteria donors (ECD) are: age greater than 60 years old OR age 50 to 59 years old and at least two of the following: History of hypertension Terminal creatinine >…
Hypertension continues to be major public health concern. Efforts to manage this sometimes difficult to treat condition have only started to positively impact patient health. In some instances hypertension can be refractory to intense medical therapy. It is…