Category Archives: Kidney Health

June 22nd is World Kidney Cancer Awareness day. This is a time where the global community of patients, caregivers, family, and medical professionals raise awareness for kidney cancer, a serious disease that affects hundreds of thousands of people around the world. To help familiarize yourself with the topic, we have provided articles on end stage ...click here to read more

In between the ribs and pelvic bone lie your flanks, of which there are two (one on each side of the body). There are a few parts of the flank, but the easiest way to identify it is through the lower part of the flank. Fat accumulates in this region and form “love handles.” However, ...click here to read more

Suffering from atrophic kidney means that one kidney is smaller in size than the other. Humans are normally born with two separate kidneys located on the left and right side of the vertebral column within the abdomen. They are considered vital organs of the body and are responsible for getting rid of toxic metabolic waste ...click here to read more

March is kidney month as detailed by the American Kidney Fund. In recognition, here is Bel Marra Health’s kidney health update, featuring information on rheumatoid arthritis, nephrotic syndrome, kidney damage, and yoga to improve kidney health. Rheumatoid arthritis and kidneys: Protecting your kidneys from RA Rheumatoid arthritis patients are at an increased risk for chronic ...click here to read more

Diabetic kidney disease is very difficult to treat, though a new study from Karolinska Institutet has shown promising results in preventing this disease from worsening. The disease is also referred to as diabetic kidney failure, and is the biggest reason patients undergo dialysis—sometimes, they may even require kidney transplantation. It is often detected through the ...click here to read more

A new method for detecting and locating kidney damage has been developed by researchers from Aarhus University. The method combines the use of blood tests and/or urine tests to first diagnose whether the kidney has been injured by measuring the levels of an enzyme called fumarase. Fumarase is released from the cells of the kidney ...click here to read more

Higher levels of a specific protein known as klotho in the blood may help to preserve proper kidney function, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Klotho is a soluble protein that circulates in the blood and can influence cellular and endocrine pathways—its highest concentration is found ...click here to read more

The world’s first MRI study of the effect of kidney disease on heart function shows that the necessary dialysis treatments for those with kidney failure can cause heart damage. Recent research conducted by the University of Nottingham used magnetic resonance imaging to study the stress placed on patients’ hearts while they underwent kidney dialysis. The ...click here to read more

Yoga can be beneficial in promoting kidney health. The main role of the kidneys is to help filter waste from the body, along with secreting necessary hormones and stabilizing blood pressure. The kidneys also help maintain homeostasis which goes to show how important the kidneys really are for the healthy functioning of the entire body, ...click here to read more

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a type of kidney failure that occurs in patients with severe liver problems. There are two types of HRS. Type 1 is associated with accelerated kidney failure and type 2 is associated with a more gradual kidney failure. Type 1 HRS is characterized by an overproduction of creatinine. In type 2, ...click here to read more

Kidney failure patients face a higher risk of dying early due to cardiovascular causes. The study found that dialysis patients may have altered blood clotting, which increases their risk of bleeding and stroke. The researchers analyzed the blood of 171 chronic hemodialysis patients and found that they had denser clot structures, compared to patients without ...click here to read more

Kidney disease risk increases in postmenopausal women undergoing long-term estrogen treatment. Estrogen is known to offer protective effects against high blood pressure, but as the estrogen levels decrease after menopause the benefits decrease as well. The researchers bred rats to mimic gender-specific blood pressure differences commonly observed in humans to determine whether hormone therapy negatively ...click here to read more

Chronic kidney disease patients can live longer with a healthy diet. The researchers analyzed seven studies that included over 15,000 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The researchers wanted to evaluate the impact of a healthy diet – fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes, whole grains – on CKD (if any). In six of the studies, a healthy ...click here to read more

Protein leakage (proteinuria) in chronic kidney disease can be controlled with new therapy. The therapy was created using Receptor-Heteromer Investigation Technology (Receptor-HIT) developed at The University of Western Australia/Perkins and assigned to Dimerix in 2006. The trial therapy also added a blocker compound to one currently used to treat hypertension and nephropathy in type 2 ...click here to read more