The Kidney Citizen Issue 20
Welcome to the Innovation issue of the Kidney Citizen! The DPC Education Center is excited to share with you articles that embody innovation, provide knowledge, and help you to live your best life with kidney disease.
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Do You Ask Questions?
Whether you were just diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), on dialysis, or transplanted, it is important to ask providers questions about whatever it is that you do not understand about your healthcare. Remember, providers treat symptoms! If you do not tell them if something does not feel “normal”, it is more difficult for the provider to help solve the concern. Lab tests are crucial for all patients. The results help a provider to determine the progress of a patient’s overall health. At the same time, a patient should ASK QUESTIONS if not understanding when a provider reviews the results [...]
Ask the Doctor September 2024
Velma Scantlebury, MD, DPC Education Center Health Care Consultant 1. I have been on dialysis for three months. After treatment in the dialysis facility, I am tired and feel bloated. When will I begin to feel better? Dialysis removes excess fluid and waste products. This happens by shifting fluid from one compartment so that the dialysis process can remove the extra fluid. This «dialysis fatigue» is experienced by about 50% of patients. Anemia, electrolyte imbalance, and stress can also be contributors to the condition. Many recommend getting plenty of rest, eating more protein, eating a balanced diet, and [...]
Improving Pregnancy Outcomes for Women on Dialysis or with a Kidney Transplant
New research suggests that pregnancy outcomes are improving for women on dialysis or with a kidney transplant. Hayet Baouche, MPH, of APHP-Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, REIN Registry in Paris, France and colleagues reported in Clinical Kidney Journal that from 2010 – 2020, the frequency women on dialysis becoming pregnant increased. There was a decrease in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and polyhydramnios, as well as lower rates of neonatal and perinatal deaths compared to previous decades, likely attributed to advancements in obstetric and neonatal care, and progress in fetal monitoring and dialysis treatments. A systematic review of 14 retrospective and prospective studies [...]
Conquering Dialysis Fatigue
By Patricia McCarley, RN, MSN, ACNP and Felicia Speed, PhD, LMSW Patients on dialysis may complain of an intense feeling of tiredness or fatigue with 60-97% of patients finding it as important a health outcome as mobility or pain. While it may be difficult to identify the exact cause, patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or end stage renal disease (ESRD) have several factors contributing to fatigue, including uremia, an increased level of waste products in the blood, and anemia, a decrease in red blood cell production. Anemia is a condition in which your body does not [...]
The Kidney Citizen Issue 16
Telehealth with a Behavior Health Professional, Navigating a Renal Diet, Anemia, and more!
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)
By Mirjana Dimitrijevic, M.D. and Keith A. Bellovich, DO There are two major forms of PKD: autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). ARPKD is uncommon and is typically diagnosed in infancy or in utero. Autosomal recessive means that the mutated gene must be present in both parents (carriers) with a 1 in 4 chance that a child will inherit an abnormal gene from both parents and have the disease. In ADPKD each child of an affected parent has a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. ADPKD is the most common inherited kidney disease, characterized [...]
“You Want to Slit My Throat?”: What is a Parathyroidectomy?
By Keith A. Bellovich, DO and Mirjana Dimitrijevic, MD Parathyroidectomy is the surgical removal of one or more of your parathyroid glands. It stems from the Greek ektomia = "cutting out" which means to surgically remove something from your body. The parathyroid glands are made of tissue slightly larger than a single grain of rice, located around your Adam’s apple that produce parathyroid hormone (PTH) and control the levels of calcium in your body. PTH stimulates the conversion of calcidiol (25-hydroxyvitamin D) to calcitriol (activated vitamin D) within kidney tubular cells, which leads to the absorption of calcium in your diet [...]
Spanish Resources
Muchos pacientes renales de habla hispana son bilingües, conversan y leen con facilidad tanto en español como en inglés. Sin embargo, algunas personas prefieren o disfrutan más, el leer en español. Esta lista de recursos proporciona varias categorías de artículos, muchos tomados de nuestro boletín para pacientes, Kidney Citizen. No incluye absolutamente todo y se seguirán agregando nuevos recursos. Las categorías te ayudarán a elegir tu tema de interés para que fácilmente puedas compartir los artículos con tus familiares y amigos. Como siempre, puedes usar la herramienta Google Language para convertir nuestras otras páginas al español. Many Spanish-speaking [...]
Diagnosis of Pediatric Kidney Disease
Non-invasive Methods Physical Exam - During the exam, if the doctor sees swelling, more tests may be ordered. Medical History - After reviewing the family medical history, more tests may be ordered. Urinalysis - is a quick urine strip test that may or may not include microscopic analysis. It can quickly detect abnormalities such as traces of blood that may indicate inflammation or irritation in the urinary tract. Urinalysis can also detect an excess of white blood cells, which is most commonly associated with infections. Microalbuminuria - is an additional more in depth urinalysis that is used to detect [...]