Study Says Patients With Persistent Kidney Injuries Rarely See Specialists

Most patients with kidney injury do not see a kidney specialist within a year, reveals study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

Most patients with kidney injury do not see a kidney specialist within a year, reveals study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The findings indicate that efforts are needed to identify and treat kidney injury patients who require subsequent care.

Acute kidney injury (AKI), an abrupt or rapid decline in kidney function, is an increasingly prevalent condition that can seriously affect individuals'' health and survival. Sometimes AKI arises due to medical or surgical complications that deprive the kidneys of a normal blood flow for extended periods of time. That explains why AKI often arises in patients who are hospitalized.

Acute Renal (Kidney) Failure- Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Complications
Acute renal failure is the sudden cessation of the functioning of kidneys, that can be due to reduced renal blood flow, damage to renal tissues.

Because the kidneys can often recover from AKI, most patients can resume a normal life after treatment; however, they often remain at increased risk of developing kidney disease in the future.

Edward Siew, MD, Michael Matheny, MD (Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Tennessee Valley Healthcare System Veterans Administration) and their colleagues wondered whether patients who experience AKI during hospitalization receive enough attention paid to their future risk of developing kidney problems.

From a US Department of Veterans Affairs database, the researchers identified 3,929 survivors of AKI who were hospitalized between January 2003 and December 2008 and who continued to have poor kidney function a month after their injury.

Quiz on Kidney
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist, and are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of your spine.

Healthy kidneys filter about half a cup of blood every minute, removing wastes and extra water to make urine. The urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder through two thin tubes of muscle called ureters, one on each side of your bladder. The bladder stores urine. The kidneys, ureters, and bladder are partof the urinary tract.

Anatomy of Urinary System
Animation & slides showing anatomy of urinary system and the role of kidneys in getting rid of the waste products and excess fluid from our body to keep us healthy.

kidneys remove wastes and extra fluid from your body. Kidneys also remove acid that is produced by the cells of your body and maintain a healthy balance of water, salts, and minerals-such as sodium, calcium, phosphorus and potassium-in your blood ().

Without this balance, nerves, muscles, and other tissues in the body may not work normally.

Kidneys also make hormones that help

Control your blood pressure
Make red blood cells
Keep your bones strong and healthy

Among the major findings over a one-year surveillance period:
- 22% of patients died.
- Only 8.5% of patients were referred to a kidney specialist before dying, starting dialysis, or experiencing an improvement in kidney function.
- Patients'' severity of AKI did not affect whether or not they were referred.

"This study shows that only a minority of patients who do not recover their kidney function after an AKI event are seen by a kidney specialist, highlighting an important opportunity for a more integrated approach in maintaining the kidney health of these patients," said Dr. Matheny. "The findings also underscore the need for more research to help identify those patients who are at highest risk for persistent kidney problems and who might benefit from the input of a kidney specialist," he added.

Source-Newswise

Kidney Injury After Surgery Predicted by Warning Signs
It is well-known that acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common - but preventable -- complication after surgery that can lead to other complications or even death.