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Biomedical subjects

Adeera Levin

Publications and source records attributed to Adeera Levin.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Development, prevention, and potential reversal of left ventricular hypertrophy in chronic kidney disease.

Although a high prevalence of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy is recognized with increasing severity of chronic kidney disease (CKD), previously neither its progression nor its potential for prevention or reversal has been addressed adequately in this population group. A nested analysis of a 2-yr study involving 155 patients with stage 3/4 CKD, examining effects of hemoglobin change (range, 90 to 130 g/L) on LV mass in patients with (n = 46; 30%) and without (n = 105; 70%) initial LV hypertrophy, is reported. At baseline, the group with LV hypertrophy was older (P < 0.01), had higher BP (P < 0.01), had greater LV wall and cavity dimensions (P < 0.001), and had more prevalent use of antihypertensive agents (P < 0.001) but a lower hemoglobin concentration (P < 0.05) and GFR (P < 0.01). A total of 117 patients were available for assessment at 2 yr. Importantly, 57 (68%) with initial normal LV indices showed no appreciable change with time; however, 27 (32%) developed LV hypertrophy, with growth in both wall and cavity dimensions (P < 0.001). In contrast, 23 (50%) of those with initial LV hypertrophy maintained elevated LV indices, whereas 10 (22%) regressed, through wall but not cavity reduction, to within normal LV indices. Predisposing factors to maintaining or achieving normal LV mass dimensions included relative youth (P < 0.05), a lower pulse pressure (P < 0.05), and a higher GFR (P < 0.05) but not hemoglobin concentration or parathyroid hormone levels. These findings suggest that even at a relatively advanced stage of renal dysfunction, control of BP and volume, together with regulated metabolic and clinical indices, may contribute to the prevention or even reversal of LV hypertrophy in a substantial proportion of patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

The burden of kidney disease: improving global outcomes.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a worldwide public health problem. There is an increasing incidence and prevalence of patients with kidney failure requiring replacement therapy, with poor outcomes and high cost. There is an even higher prevalence of patients in earlier stages of CKD, with adverse outcomes such as kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. Patients at earlier stages of CKD can be detected through laboratory testing and their treatment is effective in slowing the progression to kidney failure and reducing cardiovascular events. The science and evidence-based care of these patients are universal and independent of their geographic location. There is a clear need to develop a uniform and global public health approach to the worldwide epidemic of CKD. It is to this end that a new initiative "Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes" has been established. Its stated mission is "Improve the care and outcomes of kidney disease patients worldwide through promoting coordination, collaboration and integration of initiatives to develop and implement clinical practice guidelines."

Global Health↗
PubMed2004

Coronary artery disease in chronic kidney disease patients: assessing the evidence for diagnosis, screening and revascularization.

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing in North America, with an attendant increase in cardiovascular complications. The bulk of the mortality and morbidity in CKD patients can be attributed to coronary artery disease (CAD), especially in the presence of diabetes mellitus. Thus, screening and diagnosis of CAD is particularly important in the management of these patients, especially during evaluation for renal transplantation. However, numerous limitations exist with noninvasive tests that cloud the ideal strategy for diagnosis. In addition, the optimal revascularization strategy (surgery versus percutaneous intervention) for CAD is controversial for these patients. Randomized trials are clearly needed; unfortunately, major cardiovascular trials usually exclude patients with significant renal dysfunction. The current diagnostic and revascularization strategy for CAD in CKD patients is discussed, highlighting current controversies that warrant further investigation.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2003

National Kidney Foundation practice guidelines for chronic kidney disease: evaluation, classification, and stratification.

Chronic kidney disease is a worldwide public health problem with an increasing incidence and prevalence, poor outcomes, and high cost. Outcomes of chronic kidney disease include not only kidney failure but also complications of decreased kidney function and cardiovascular disease. Current evidence suggests that some of these adverse outcomes can be prevented or delayed by early detection and treatment. Unfortunately, chronic kidney disease is underdiagnosed and undertreated, in part as a result of lack of agreement on a definition and classification of its stages of progression. Recent clinical practice guidelines by the National Kidney Foundation 1) define chronic kidney disease and classify its stages, regardless of underlying cause, 2) evaluate laboratory measurements for the clinical assessment of kidney disease, 3) associate the level of kidney function with complications of chronic kidney disease, and 4) stratify the risk for loss of kidney function and development of cardiovascular disease. The guidelines were developed by using an approach based on the procedure outlined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This paper presents the definition and five-stage classification system of chronic kidney disease and summarizes the major recommendations on early detection in adults. Recommendations include identifying persons at increased risk (those with diabetes, those with hypertension, those with a family history of chronic kidney disease, those older than 60 years of age, or those with U.S. racial or ethnic minority status), detecting kidney damage by measuring the albumin-creatinine ratio in untimed ("spot") urine specimens, and estimating the glomerular filtration rate from serum creatinine measurements by using prediction equations. Because of the high prevalence of early stages of chronic kidney disease in the general population (approximately 11% of adults), this information is particularly important for general internists and specialists.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed2003

Collapsing glomerulopathy coexisting with membranous glomerulonephritis in native kidney biopsies: a report of 3 HIV-negative patients.

Collapsing glomerulopathy (CG), a variant of idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), can occur in both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive and HIV-negative patients. Idiopathic membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) has been reported to coexist with FSGS, but rarely with CG. We report 3 HIV-negative patients (2 men, 1 woman) who developed nephrotic syndrome secondary to MGN complicated by CG, with relatively rapid disease progression despite aggressive therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Stage of chronic kidney disease predicts seroconversion after hepatitis B immunization: earlier is better.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a concern in dialysis populations, and vaccination programs have been less successful than those in the general population. Reasons for poor response include malnutrition, uremia, and the generalized immunosuppressive state of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This prospective cohort study evaluated factors impacting on the effectiveness of a vaccination program before dialysis therapy initiation, including level of kidney function. METHODS: All patients receiving care in the Kidney Function Clinic (St Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada) were screened for previous HBV infection or vaccination. Those who were marker negative were administered a standardized hepatitis B vaccination schedule recommended for patients with CKD. The primary outcome measure, seroconversion, is defined as hepatitis B surface antibody titer greater than 10 IU 3 months after completion of the vaccination schedule. RESULTS: The study population of 165 patients included 64% men with a mean age of 60 years, mean serum creatinine level of 3.4 +/- 1.5 mg/dL (300 +/- 133 micromol/L), and median estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 20 mL/min (interquartile range, 14 to 20). Seroconversion rate was 82%. Multivariate analyses showed the independent predictive value of level of GFR. The model showed that patients with the lowest level of kidney function and who were older and had diabetes were less likely to seroconvert (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This is the largest study to show in a well-characterized cohort that patients with higher GFR levels are more likely to respond to hepatitis B vaccination programs with seroconversion, independent of other factors. Future studies will explore specific mechanisms to explain this phenomenon.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Anaemia, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease: integrating new knowledge in 2002.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The present review assesses recent publications, from 2001 until the present, which address the relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and anaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Insights from the recently published basic science literature have helped to place findings from clinical studies into a new context, and thereby assist us to understand and further explore the complex relationship between haemoglobin level and survival in chronic kidney disease. The effects of erythropoietin molecules and the presence of receptors in vascular endothelium, myocardium and other tissues are described. Both observational and interventional clinical studies are examined, and limitations in the methodology and statistical analysis of clinical studies are emphasized, but are given context within the body of literature preceding the past year's publications. SUMMARY: Data suggest that development of CVD in patients with kidney disease is multifactorial. Several factors associated with CVD are also associated with anaemia, thereby making causal arguments for the role of anaemia in CVD and survival difficult. Arguments are made for the importance of prevention of anaemia and of individualizing therapeutic goals for its treatment. Well designed prospective studies with both CVD events and mortality as outcomes, and with enrollment beginning before the start of dialysis, are essential if we are to determine the optimal therapeutic strategies.

Anemia↗
PubMed2003

National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative clinical practice guidelines for chronic kidney disease in children and adolescents: evaluation, classification, and stratification.

OBJECTIVES: A series of new guidelines has been developed by the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative to improve the detection and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In most instances of CKD, the earliest manifestations of the disorder may be identified by relatively simple tests. Unfortunately, CKD is often "underdiagnosed," in part because of the absence of a common definition of CKD and a classification of the stages in its progression. The Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative clinical practice guidelines for CKD evaluation, classification, and stratification provide a basis to remedy these deficits. The specific goals of the guidelines described in this review are to provide: 1) an overview of the clinical practice guidelines as they pertain to children and adolescents, 2) a simple classification of the stages of CKD, and 3) a practical approach to the laboratory assessment of kidney disease in children and adolescents. METHODS: The guidelines were developed as part of an evidence-based evaluation of CKD and its consequences in patients of all ages. The data that were used to generate the guidelines in this article were extracted from a structured analysis of articles that reported on children with CKD. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: This review presents the definition and 5-stage classification system of CKD developed by the work group assigned to develop the guidelines, and summarizes the major recommendations regarding the early detection of CKD. Major emphasis is placed on the identification of children and adolescents with CKD by measuring the protein-to-creatinine ratio in spot urine specimens and by estimating the glomerular filtration rate from serum creatinine using prediction equations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Association of kidney function with anemia: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994).

BACKGROUND: Kidney failure is known to cause anemia, which is associated with a higher risk of cardiac failure and mortality. The impact of milder decreases in kidney function on hemoglobin levels and anemia in the US population, however, is unknown. METHODS: We analyzed a population-based sample of 15419 participants 20 years and older in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted from 1988 to 1994. RESULTS: Lower kidney function was associated with a lower hemoglobin level and a higher prevalence and severity of anemia below, but not above, an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 60 mL/min per 1.73 m(2). Adjusted to the age of 60 years, the predicted median hemoglobin level among men (women) decreased from 14.9 (13.5) g/dL at an estimated GFR of 60 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) to 13.8 (12.2) g/dL at an estimated GFR of 30 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) and to 12.0 (10.3) g/dL at an estimated GFR of 15 mL/min per 1.73 m(2). The prevalence of anemia (hemoglobin level <12 g/dL in men and <11 g/dL in women) increased from 1% (95% confidence interval, 0.7%-2%) at an estimated GFR of 60 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) to 9% (95% confidence interval, 4%-19%) at an estimated GFR of 30 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) and to 33% (95% confidence interval, 11%-67%) at an estimated GFR of 15 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) among men and to 67% (95% confidence interval, 30%-90%) at an estimated GFR of 15 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) among women. An estimated GFR of 15 to 60 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) was present in 4% of the entire population and in 17% of the individuals with anemia. CONCLUSION: Below an estimated GFR of 60 mL/min per 1.73 m(2), lower kidney function is strongly associated with a higher prevalence of anemia among the US adult population.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Anemia and left ventricular hypertrophy in chronic kidney disease populations: a review of the current state of knowledge.

The increasing awareness of the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the dialysis population has led clinical nephrologists and researchers to focus their attention on processes and factors that are present in patients prior to dialysis. It is clear that many of the risk factors for kidney disease and cardiovascular disease are similar: This may account for the high prevalence of CVD within the dialysis population. However, it is evident that there are unique risk factors for CVD that are present in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). These unique uremia-related risk factors for CVD include anemia, hyperparathyroidism, abnormalities of mineral metabolism, and acidosis. Of note, the association of anemia, or lower levels of hemoglobin, have been consistently described in all populations with kidney disease. Left ventricular hypertrophy has long been known as an independent risk factor for death and CV events, in both the dialysis and general populations. There have been accumulating data that LVH and left ventricular (LV) growth occur prior to dialysis in patients with kidney disease, and that the prevalence of LVH in that group of patients is caused by, conventional risk factors for LVH (e.g., hypertension) as well as nonconventional risk factors such as anemia.

Anemia↗