Immunoglobulin A nephropathy associated with Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Glomerulonephritis occurs as a rare form of renal manifestation in Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Herein, we report a case of falciparum malaria-associated IgA nephropathy for the first time. A 49-yr old male who had been to East Africa was diagnosed with Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Microhematuria and proteinuria along with acute kidney injury developed during the course of the disease. Kidney biopsy showed mesangial proliferation and IgA deposits with tubulointerstitial inflammation. Laboratory tests after recovery from malaria showed disappearance of urinary abnormalities and normalization of kidney function. Our findings suggest that malaria infection might be associated with IgA nephropathy.ope

Removal of kidney stones by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is associated with delayed progression of chronic kidney disease

PURPOSE: This study aimed to elucidate whether stone removal by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is associated with delayed chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 131 nephrolithiasis patients with stage 3 and 4 CKD. We collected baseline clinical and laboratory data, kidney stone characteristics, and history of receiving ESWL. We classified study patients into two groups according to whether they underwent ESWL or not (Non-ESWL group vs. ESWL group). We initially compared annual estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) changes of Non-ESWL group with those of ESWL group before undergoing ESWL. In the next step, we sought to compare annual eGFR changes in the same patients before and after ESWL. Finally, we compared annual eGFR changes between success and failure groups among patients undergoing ESWL. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 62 years and 72.5% were male. The mean observation period was 3.2 years. Non-ESWL group and ESWL group before undergoing ESWL showed similar annual eGFR changes (-1.75±6.5 vs. -1.63±7.2 mL/min/1.73 m²/year, p=0.425). However, eGFR declined slower after undergoing ESWL than before ESWL (annual eGFR changes, -0.29±6.1 vs. -1.63±7.2 mL/min/1.73 m²/year, p<0.05). In addition, among patients in ESWL group, eGFR declined faster in the failure group than in the success group (annual eGFR change, -1.01±4.7 vs. -0.05±5.2 mL/min/1.73 m²/year, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that stone removal by ESWL is associated with delayed deterioration of renal function in CKD patients with nephrolithiasis.ope

Left atrial volume is an independent predictor of mortality in CAPD patients

BACKGROUND: Echocardiography is an established technique to estimate the risk for cardiovascular complications in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). An enlarged left atrium (LA) has recently emerged as a marker of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in various pathologic conditions. However, there have been few studies to evaluate its prognostic value in patients with ESRD, particularly those receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). METHODS: We conducted an observational cohort study to investigate whether enlarged LA can predict patient outcome in 216 patients with CAPD. Study outcomes were all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. RESULTS: Increased left atrium volume index (LAVI > 32 mL/m(2)) was observed in 99 (45.8%) of the CAPD patients. During the follow-up (26.3 ± 18.6 months), 20 patients (9.3%) died. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the 5-year survival rate was significantly lower in patients with LAVI > 32 mL/m(2) than those with LAVI ≤ 32 mL/m(2) (69 versus 82%, P = 0.024). In multivariate analyses adjusted for echocardiographic parameters and clinical and laboratory data, increased LAVI was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.10, P = 0.03] and cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02-1.14, P = 0.006). Furthermore, increased LAVI provided the highest predictive value for all-cause mortality [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.766, P < 0.001] and cardiovascular mortality (AUC = 0.836, P < 0.001) among the measured echocardiographic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: We showed that increased LAVI predicted adverse outcomes better than other echocardiographic parameters in patients with CAPD.ope

Estimating average glucose levels from glycated albumin in patients with end-stage renal disease

PURPOSE: In patients with diabetic end stage renal disease (ESRD), glycated albumin (GA) reflects recent glycemic control more accurately than glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). We evaluated the relationship between GA and average blood glucose (AG) level and developed an estimating equation for translating GA values into easier-to-understand AG levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 185 ESRD patients, including 154 diabetic and 31 non-diabetic participants, were enrolled (108 hemodialysis, 77 peritoneal dialysis). Patients were asked to perform four-point daily self-monitoring of capillary blood glucose (SMBG) at least three consecutive days each week for four weeks. Serum levels of GA, HbA1c and other biochemical parameters were checked at baseline, as well as at 4 and 8 weeks. RESULTS: Approximately 74.3±7.0 SMBG readings were obtained from each participant and mean AG was 169.1±48.2 mg/dL. The correlation coefficient between serum GA and AG levels (r=0.70, p<0.001) was higher than that of HbA1c and AG (r=0.54, p<0.001). Linear regression analysis yielded the following equation: estimated AG (eAG) (mg/dL)=4.71×GA%+73.35, and with this formula, serum GA levels could be easily translated to eAG levels. Multivariate analysis revealed significant contributions of postprandial hyperglycemia (β=0.25, p=0.03) and serum albumin (β=0.17, p=0.04) in determining serum GA level, independent to other clinical parameters. CONCLUSION: Compared to HbA1c, serum GA levels were better correlated with AG levels. Using the estimating equation, an average blood glucose level of 155-160 mg/dL could be matched to a GA value of 18-19% in patients with ESRD.ope

Leptin/Adiponectin Ratio Is an Independent Predictor of Mortality in Nondiabetic Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

BACKGROUND: The leptin/adiponectin (L/A) ratio has been suggested to be an atherosclerotic index for diabetic patients and a useful marker of insulin resistance in patients with and without diabetes. Even though end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) are well characterized by abnormal adipocytokine metabolism, the significance of alterations in the L/A ratio is largely unexplored in these patients. In this prospective study, we investigated the associations of leptin, adiponectin, and the L/A ratio with clinical outcomes in nondiabetic PD patients. METHODS: The study included 131 stable nondiabetic ESRD patients who had been on PD for more than 3 months. Serum leptin and adiponectin levels were determined at baseline. Mortality was evaluated over a 5-year follow-up period. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 22 patients died (16.8%), including 10 (45.5%) as a result of cardiovascular disease. The L/A ratio showed a significant positive correlation with body mass index [BMI (r = 0.47, p < 0.001)], high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (r = 0.32, p < 0.001), and triglycerides (r = 0.43, p < 0.001). In addition, we observed significant inverse correlations between the L/A ratio and percentage lean body mass (r = -0.30, p = 0.001) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = -0.31, p = 0.001). In contrast to individual leptin and adiponectin levels, the L/A ratio was found to be independently associated with an increased mortality risk (relative risk: 1.15; 95% confidence interval: 1.05 to 1.27; p = 0.003) even after adjustments for age and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: The L/A ratio might be better related to patient outcomes than adipocytokines are individually in nondiabetic patients undergoing PD.ope

Usefulness of Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) in Patients with Refractory Heart Failure (RHF)

Background: Though PD has served as a treatment method for metabolic derangement in acute or chronic renal failure, it has also been used as a palliative therapy or as a bridge to definite surgery or transplantation in patients with RHF. Some studies have demonstrated that PD reduced hospitalization rates and improved functional capacity in these patients, but changes in echocardiographic findings after PD have not been thoroughly explored. In this study, the effects of PD on hospitalization rates and days, functional status, and echocardiographic parameters were evaluated. Methods: Thirteen patients, in whom PD was performed to treat heart failure, were enrolled. Patients with serum creatinine levels more than 3.0 mg/dL and with acute cardiac event within 1 month before the start of PD were excluded. The clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic findings before and after the start of PD were compared by carrying out a paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: Among 13 patients, 11 patients experienced improvement in functional status after the initiation of PD, and the mean NYHA class improved from 3.5±0.5 to 2.3±0.9 after PD treatment (p<0.005). Significant reductions in hospitalization rates (from 1.7±0.4 to 0.2±0.4 episodes/patient-year, p<0.001) and in hospitalization days (from 62.1±26.5 to 3.8±8.9 days/patient-year, p<0.001) were also observed since the start of PD. Echocardiographic findings revealed that right ventricular pressure was significantly reduced in both right-sided and left-sided heart failure patients (p<0.05), whereas there were no significant changes in left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and left ventricular ejection fraction after PD therapy. Conclusion: PD treatment improved quality of life, shortened hospitalization period, and reduced right ventricular pressure in patients with RHF. These findings suggest that PD should be considered as an alternative therapeutic modality for RHF.ope

Good glycemic control is associated with better survival in diabetic patients on peritoneal dialysis: a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND: The effect of glycemic control after starting peritoneal dialysis (PD) on the survival of diabetic PD patients has largely been unexplored, especially in Asian population. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study, in which 140 incident PD patients with diabetes were recruited. Patients were divided into tertiles according to the means of quarterly HbA1C levels measured during the first year after starting PD. We examined the association between HbA1C and all-cause mortality using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: The mean age was 58.7 years, 59.3% were male, and the mean follow-up duration was 3.5 years (range 0.4-9.5 years). The mean HbA1C levels were 6.3%, 7.1%, and 8.5% in the 1(st), 2(nd), and 3(rd) tertiles, respectively. Compared to the 1(st) tertile, the all-cause mortality rates were higher in the 2(nd) [hazard ratio (HR), 4.16; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.91-18.94; p = 0.065] and significantly higher in the 3(rd) (HR, 13.16; 95% CI, 2.67-64.92; p = 0.002) tertiles (p for trend = 0.005), after adjusting for confounding factors. Cardiovascular mortality, however, did not differ significantly among the tertiles (p for trend = 0.682). In contrast, non-cardiovascular deaths, most of which were caused by infection, were more frequent in the 2(nd) (HR, 7.67; 95% CI, 0.68-86.37; p = 0.099) and the 3(rd) (HR, 51.24; 95% CI, 3.85-681.35; p = 0.003) tertiles than the 1(st) tertile (p for trend = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Poor glycemic control is associated with high mortality rates in diabetic PD patients, suggesting that better glycemic control may improve the outcomes of these patients.ope

Electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy and outcome in hemodialysis patients

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Electrocardiography (ECG) is the most widely used initial screening test for the assessment of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, traditional ECG criteria based only on voltage to detect LVH have limited clinical utility for the detection of LVH because of their poor sensitivity. METHODS: This prospective observational study was undertaken to compare the prognostic significance of commonly used ECG criteria for LVH, namely Sokolow-Lyon voltage (SV) or voltage-duration product (SP) and Cornell voltage (CV) or voltage-duration product (CP) criteria, and to investigate the association between echocardiographic LV mass index (LVMI) and ECG-LVH criteria in ESRD patients, who consecutively started maintenance hemodialysis (HD) between January 2006 and December 2008. RESULTS: A total of 317 patients, who underwent both ECG and echocardiography, were included. Compared to SV and CV criteria, SP and CP criteria, respectively, correlated more closely with LVMI. In addition, CP criteria provided the highest positive predictive value for echocardiographic LVH. The 5-year cardiovascular survival rates were significantly lower in patients with ECG-LVH by each criterion. In multivariate analyses, echocardiographic LVH [adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 11.71; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.57-87.18; P = 0.016] and ECG-LVH by SP (HR: 3.43; 95% CI: 1.32-8.92; P = 0.011) and CP (HR: 3.07; 95% CI: 1.16-8.11; P = 0.024) criteria, but not SV and CV criteria, were significantly associated with cardiovascular mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The product of QRS voltage and duration is helpful in identifying the presence of LVH and predicting cardiovascular mortality in incident HD patients.ope

Decreased circulating C3 levels and mesangial C3 deposition predict renal outcome in patients with IgA nephropathy

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Mesangial C3 deposition is frequently observed in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). However, the role of complement in the pathogenesis or progression of IgAN is uncertain. In this observational cohort study, we aimed to identify the clinical implications of circulating C3 levels and mesangial C3 deposition and to investigate their utility as predictors of renal outcomes in patients with IgAN. METHODS: A total of 343 patients with biopsy-proven IgAN were enrolled between January 2000 and December 2008. Decreased serum C3 level (hypoC3) was defined as C3 <90 mg/dl. The study endpoint was end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and a doubling of the baseline serum creatinine (D-SCr). RESULTS: Of the patients, there were 66 patients (19.2%) with hypoC3. During a mean follow-up of 53.7 months, ESRD occurred in 5 patients (7.6%) with hypoC3 compared with 9 patients (3.2%) with normal C3 levels (P = 0.11). However, 12 patients (18.2%) with hypoC3 reached D-SCr compared with 17 patients (6.1%) with normal C3 levels [Hazard ratio (HR), 3.59; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.33-10.36; P = 0.018]. In a multivariable model in which serum C3 levels were treated as a continuous variable, hypoC3 significantly predicted renal outcome of D-SCr (per 1 mg/dl increase of C3; HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92-0.99; P = 0.011). The risk of reaching renal outcome was significantly higher in patients with mesangial C3 deposition 2+ to 3+ than in patients without deposition (HR 9.37; 95% CI, 1.10-80.26; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that hypoC3 and mesangial C3 deposition were independent risk factors for progression, suggesting that complement activation may play a pathogenic role in patients with IgAN.ope

Progression of aortic arch calcification over 1 year is an independent predictor of mortality in incident peritoneal dialysis patients

BACKGROUNDS AND AIMS: The presence and progression of vascular calcification have been demonstrated as important risk factors for mortality in dialysis patients. However, since the majority of subjects included in most previous studies were hemodialysis patients, limited information was available in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of aortic arch calcification (AoAC) and prognostic value of AoAC progression in PD patients. METHODS: We prospectively determined AoAC by chest X-ray at PD start and after 12 months, and evaluated the impact of AoAC progression on mortality in 415 incident PD patients. RESULTS: Of 415 patients, 169 patients (40.7%) had AoAC at baseline with a mean of 18.1±11.2%. The presence of baseline AoAC was an independent predictor of all-cause [Hazard ratio (HR): 2.181, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.336-3.561, P = 0.002] and cardiovascular mortality (HR: 3.582, 95% CI: 1.577-8.132, P = 0.002). Among 363 patients with follow-up chest X-rays at 12 months after PD start, the proportion of patients with AoAC progression was significantly higher in patients with baseline AoAC (64.2 vs. 5.3%, P<0.001). Moreover, all-cause and cardiovascular death rates were significantly higher in the progression groups than in the non-progression group (P<0.001). Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that AoAC progression was an independent predictor for all-cause (HR: 2.625, 95% CI: 1.150-5.991, P = 0.022) and cardiovascular mortality (HR: 4.008, 95% CI: 1.079-14.890, P = 0.038) in patients with AoAC at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The presence and progression of AoAC assessed by chest X-ray were independently associated with unfavorable outcomes in incident PD patients. Regular follow-up by chest X-ray could be a simple and useful method to stratify mortality risk in these patients.ope