Chronic kidney disease is a progressive condition that affects >10% of the general population worldwide, amounting to >800 million individuals. Chronic kidney disease is more prevalent in older ...individuals, women, racial minorities, and in people experiencing diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Chronic kidney disease represents an especially large burden in low- and middle-income countries, which are least equipped to deal with its consequences. Chronic kidney disease has emerged as one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, and it is one of a small number of non-communicable diseases that have shown an increase in associated deaths over the past 2 decades. The high number of affected individuals and the significant adverse impact of chronic kidney disease should prompt enhanced efforts for better prevention and treatment.
Hyperkalaemia is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), in part because of the effects of kidney dysfunction on potassium homeostasis and in part because of the cluster of ...comorbidities (and their associated treatments) that occur in patients with CKD. Owing to its electrophysiological effects, severe hyperkalaemia represents a medical emergency that usually requires prompt intervention, whereas the prevention of hazardous hyperkalaemic episodes in at-risk patients requires measures aimed at the long-term normalization of potassium homeostasis. The options for effective and safe medical interventions to restore chronic potassium balance are few, and long-term management of hyperkalaemia is primarily limited to the correction of modifiable exacerbating factors. This situation can result in a difficult trade-off in patients with CKD, because drugs that are beneficial to these patients (for example, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system antagonists) are often the most prominent cause of their hyperkalaemia. Maintaining the use of these beneficial medications while implementing various strategies to control potassium balance is desirable; however, discontinuation rates remain high. The emergence of new medications that specifically target hyperkalaemia could lead to a therapeutic paradigm shift, emphasizing preventive management over ad hoc treatment of incidentally discovered elevations in serum potassium levels.
Anemia is a complication that affects a majority of individuals with advanced CKD. Although relative deficiency of erythropoietin production is the major driver of anemia in CKD, iron deficiency ...stands out among the mechanisms contributing to the impaired erythropoiesis in the setting of reduced kidney function. Iron deficiency plays a significant role in anemia in CKD. This may be due to a true paucity of iron stores (absolute iron deficiency) or a relative (functional) deficiency which prevents the use of available iron stores. Several risk factors contribute to absolute and functional iron deficiency in CKD, including blood losses, impaired iron absorption, and chronic inflammation. The traditional biomarkers used for the diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in patients with CKD have limitations, leading to persistent challenges in the detection and monitoring of IDA in these patients. Here, we review the pathophysiology and available diagnostic tests for IDA in CKD, we discuss the literature that has informed the current practice guidelines for the treatment of IDA in CKD, and we summarize the available oral and intravenous (IV) iron formulations for the treatment of IDA in CKD. Two important issues are addressed, including the potential risks of a more liberal approach to iron supplementation as well as the potential risks and benefits of IV versus oral iron supplementation in patients with CKD.
Whereas the adequate intake of potassium is relatively high in healthy adults, i.e., 4.7 g per day, a dietary potassium restriction of usually less than 3 g per day is recommended in the management ...of patients with reduced kidney function, especially those who tend to develop hyperkalaemia including patients who are treated with angiotensin pathway modulators. Most potassium-rich foods are considered heart-healthy nutrients with high fibre, high anti-oxidant vitamins and high alkali content such as fresh fruits and vegetables; hence, the main challenge of dietary potassium management is to maintain high fibre intake and a low net fixed-acid load, because constipation and metabolic acidosis are
major risk factors for hyperkalaemia. To achieve a careful reduction of dietary potassium load without a decrease in alkali or fibre intake, we recommend the implementation of certain pragmatic dietary interventions as follows: Improving knowledge and education about the type of foods with excess potassium (per serving or per unit of weight); identifying foods that are needed for healthy nutrition in renal patients; classification of foods based on their potassium content normalized per unit of dietary fibre; education about the use of cooking procedures (such as boiling) in order to achieve effective potassium reduction before eating; and attention to hidden sources of potassium, in particular additives in preserved foods and low-sodium salt substitutes. The present paper aims to review dietary potassium handling and gives information about practical approaches to limit potassium load in chronic kidney disease patients at risk of hyperkalaemia.
Abstract Hyperkalemia is a clinically important electrolyte abnormality that occurs most commonly in patients with chronic kidney disease. Due to its propensity to induce electrophysiological ...disturbances, severe hyperkalemia is considered a medical emergency. The management of acute and chronic hyperkalemia can be achieved through the implementation of various interventions, one of which is the elimination of medications that can raise serum potassium levels. Because many such medications (especially inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system) have shown beneficial effects in patients with cardiovascular and renal disease, their discontinuation for reasons of hyperkalemia represent an undesirable clinical compromise. The emergence of 2 new potassium-binding medications for acute and chronic therapy of hyperkalemia may soon allow the continued use of medications such as renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors even in patients who are prone to hyperkalemia. This review article provides an overview of the physiology and the pathophysiology of potassium metabolism and hyperkalemia, the epidemiology of hyperkalemia, and its acute and chronic management. We discuss in detail emerging data about new potassium-lowering therapies, and their potential future role in clinical practice.
Background Few trials of acute kidney injury (AKI) prevention after surgery have been conducted, and most observational studies focus on AKI following cardiac surgery. The frequency of, risk factors ...for, and outcomes after AKI following other types of major surgery have not been well characterized and may present additional opportunities for trials in AKI. Study Design Observational cohort study. Setting & Participants 3.6 million US veterans followed up from 2004 to 2011 for the receipt of major surgery (cardiac; general; ear, nose, and throat; thoracic; vascular; urologic; and orthopedic) and postoperative outcomes. Factors Demographics, health characteristics, and type of surgery. Outcomes Postoperative AKI defined by the KDIGO creatinine criteria, postoperative length of stay, end-stage renal disease, and mortality. Results Postoperative AKI occurred in 11.8% of the 161,185 major surgery hospitalizations (stage 1, 76%; stage 2, 15%, stage 3 without dialysis, 7%; and AKI requiring dialysis, 2%). Cardiac surgery had the highest postoperative AKI risk (relative risk RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.17-1.27), followed by general (reference), thoracic (RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.87-0.98), orthopedic (RR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.67-0.73), vascular (RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.64-0.71), urologic (RR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.61-0.69), and ear, nose, and throat (RR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.28-0.37) surgery. Risk factors for postoperative AKI included older age, African American race, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and, for estimated glomerular filtration rate < 90 mL/min/1.73 m2 , lower estimated glomerular filtration rate. Participants with postoperative AKI had longer lengths of stay (15.8 vs 8.6 days) and higher rates of 30-day hospital readmission (21% vs 13%), 1-year end-stage renal disease (0.94% vs 0.05%), and mortality (19% vs 8%), with similar associations by type of surgery and more severe stage of AKI relating to poorer outcomes. Limitations Urine output was not available to classify AKI; cohort included mostly men. Conclusions AKI was common after major surgery, with similar risk factor and outcome associations across surgery type. These results can inform the design of clinical trials in postoperative AKI to the noncardiac surgery setting.
PURPOSE OF REVIEWProtein-energy wasting (PEW) is a state of metabolic and nutritional derangements in chronic disease states including chronic kidney disease (CKD). Cumulative evidence suggests that ...PEW, muscle wasting and cachexia are common and strongly associated with mortality in CKD, which is reviewed here.
RECENT FINDINGSThe malnutrition-inflammation score (KALANTAR Score) is among the comprehensive and outcome-predicting nutritional scoring tools. The association of obesity with poor outcomes is attenuated across more advanced CKD stages and eventually reverses in the form of obesity paradox. Frailty is closely associated with PEW, muscle wasting and cachexia. Muscle loss shows stronger associations with unfavorable outcomes than fat loss. Adequate energy supplementation combined with low-protein diet for the management of CKD may prevent the development of PEW and can improve adherence to low-protein diet, but dietary protein requirement may increase with aging and is higher under dialysis therapy. Phosphorus burden may lead to poor outcomes. The target serum bicarbonate concentration is normal range and at least 23 mEq/l for nondialysis-dependent and dialysis-dependent CKD patients, respectively. A benefit of exercise is suggested but not yet conclusively proven.
SUMMARYPrevention and treatment of PEW should involve individualized and integrated approaches to modulate identified risk factors and contributing comorbidities.
Hyperkalemia is a frequent clinical abnormality in patients with chronic kidney disease, and it is associated with higher risk of mortality and malignant arrhythmias. Severe hyperkalemia is a medical ...emergency, which requires immediate therapies, followed by interventions aimed at preventing its recurrence. Current treatment paradigms for chronic hyperkalemia management are focused on eliminating predisposing factors, such as high potassium intake in diets or supplements, and the use of medications known to raise potassium level. Among the latter, inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system are some of the most commonly involved medications, and their discontinuation is often the first step taken by clinicians to prevent the recurrence of hyperkalemia. While this strategy is usually successful, it also deprives patients of the recognized benefits of this class, such as their renoprotective effects. The development of novel potassium binders has ushered in a new era of hyperkalemia management, with a focus on chronic therapy while maintaining the use of beneficial, but hyperkalemia-inducing medications such as renin-angiotensin aldosterone system inhibitors. This review article examines the incidence and clinical consequences of hyperkalemia, and its various treatment options, with special emphasis on novel therapeutic agents and the potential benefits of their application.
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