The most recent issue of NephSAP (“Fluids, Electrolytes, and Acid-Base Disturbances”) features a mini-review describing the role of the kinase SGK1 in the regulation of various nephrology-related disorders, such as salt-sensitive hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and renal fibrosis. How…
Are ESRD patients “protected” from the arrhythmogenic effects of hyperkalemia if they are chronically exposed to elevated potassium levels? I’m not sure if there is a clear answer to this question, but it is certainly a relevant question….
Did you know that the inventor of the popular sports drink “Gatorade” was a Nephrologist? The 2007 NY Times obituary of J. Robert Cade, the University of Florida nephrologist who concocted Gatorade, describes the story of the beginning…
The term “cerebral salt wasting” has always been a confusing one to me, and in the most recent issue of C-JASN, the authors of an article “More on Renal Salt Wasting Without Cerebral Disease : Response to Saline…
This is probably review as it is such a common occurrence for nephrologists as well as internists. Here’s my protocol, along with useful dosing info (sometimes lacking in textbooks): 1. Get an EKG. Look to see if there…
Licorice–particularly European licorice which contains higher doses of the natural sweetener glycyrrhizic acid (GZA)–needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis of hyperaldosteronism. Here’s how it works: The mineralocorticoid receptor, expressed in cortical collecting duct cells, is the…
Don’t be fooled into dialyzing patients that don’t need to be dialyzed! You have to beware of the pseudohyperkalemia. The most common cause of pseudohyperkalemia of course is due to hemolysis from venipuncture. There are other, more rare,…
The TRP (transient receptor potential) family of proteins is a group of related ion channels which is becoming increasingly relevant to the field of nephrologists. The TRPs are cation channels which are responsible for moving Ca2+ and Mg2+…
The urine anion gap is calculated as follows: [urine Na] + [urine K] – [urine Cl]. Think about the urine anion gap much as you think about the serum anion gap. The urine anion gap is really…
We’ve known this medical factoid since we were medical students: you can’t successfully replete a potassium-depleted patient if they have low magnesium levels. But what is the mechanism by which this occurs? One possible explanation is put forth…
