NEW YORK, April 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, before
the National Kidney Foundation's 2021 Spring Clinicals Meetings of
thousands of kidney health professionals, hundreds of studies from
the last year were presented including three studies considered
"late-breaking" research papers.
The presentations were made at the virtual presentation at the
annual Spring Clinical Meetings, which was held virtually for the
second year due to COVID-19 restriction. The event is a chance for
investigators to share their findings with professionals who attend
the conference, which is one of the most respected gatherings of
kidney professionals in the United
States.
The late-breaking research presented today included a study of
RenalytixAI's new prognostic blood test that will make it easier to
diagnosis early kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes; a
study that demonstrated the safety and tolerability of Metformin as
a potential therapeutic intervention in autosomal dominant
polycystic kidney disease; and a study that shows that patients on
dialysis are more willing than the general population to accept the
COVID-19 vaccine.
"Clinical Utility of a New Prognostic Test to Predict the
Risk of Kidney Function Decline in Diabetic Kidney Disease
Patients"
Early diagnosis of comorbidities is critical for
people with type 2 diabetes to ensure the best outcome and to help
slow progression of dangerous kidney disease. The RenalytixAI's
test would lead to earlier diagnosis over the current tests of
albuminuria and eGFR and help clinicians to understand the risk of
progression and make treatment decisions for patients with
early-stage diabetic kidney disease (DKD), the study found.
"In today's world where comorbidities associated with diabetes
are on the rise, if a simple test can enable early intervention to
prevent progression of kidney disease, patients and physicians can
be more confident about their treatment plans," said lead
investigator Manasi Datar, PhD,
Director at Boston Healthcare Associates, who made the
presentation. "Since our study found that the results from this
test are more important than current tests for physicians to make
treatment decisions in their patients, putting this test in the
hands of primary care physicians should be priority, as it would
positively impact patient management."
The new blood test detects early-stage DKD before clinical
symptoms appear so early intervention can optimize treatment
decisions, including medications that can protect patients' kidneys
and help them manage diabetes.
"A Randomized Trial of Administration of Metformin in PKD
(TAME PKD)"
Presented by Ronald D.
Perrone, MD, Tufts Medical Center and Professor of Medicine
at Tufts University School of Medicine
and Nephrologist and Scientific Director of the Clinical and
Translational Research Center at Tufts Medical Center, the study is
an exciting development for people with ADPKD and the first steps
toward a larger clinical trial evaluating efficacy and safety.
"Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease is the most common
hereditary kidney disease and the 4th leading cause of end-stage
kidney disease," Dr. Perrone said. "Demonstration of the safety and
tolerability of metformin in participants with PKD and GFR >50
ml/min is the initial step in further development of this potential
treatment for PKD."
Dr. Perrone noted that the next steps in this research are to
look at a larger intervention trial enriched for those at high risk
of rapid progress of the disease.
"SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Acceptability in Patients on Dialysis: A
Nationwide Survey"
The study was presented by investigator
Pablo Garcia, MD, Clinical and
research fellow in nephrology at Stanford
University School of Medicine and American Kidney Fund
Clinical Scientist in Nephrology Fellow.
"This is good news for the ability to reach high levels of
COVID-19 vaccination in patients on dialysis, because patients on
dialysis have higher risk for death or hospitalization from the
virus," Dr. Garcia said.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has presented multiple challenges and has
disproportionately affected patients on dialysis," he said. "At the
moment we are lucky to have effective vaccination for COVID-19 — it
is the best preventive strategy available in the world. We as
healthcare providers should do our best to facilitate information
about the vaccines."
Overall, the research showed that 80 percent of patients on
dialysis were willing to get COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine
acceptability was lower among women, younger (18-44 year) age
groups, and among Blacks, and Native Americans and Pacific
Islanders — up to 30 percent of patients in these groups were
vaccine hesitant.
The presentation session was chaired by NKF Chief Medical
Officer Joseph Vassalotti, MD.
NKF Spring Clinical Meetings
For the past 29 years, nephrology healthcare professionals
from across the country have come to NKF's Spring Clinical
Meetings to learn about the newest developments related to all
aspects of nephrology practice; network with colleagues; and
present their research findings. The NKF Spring Clinical Meetings
are designed for meaningful change in the multidisciplinary
healthcare teams' skills, performance, and patient health outcomes.
It is the only conference of its kind that focuses on translating
science into practice for the entire healthcare team. This
year's Spring Clinical Meetings will be held virtually April
6-10.
NKF Professional Membership
Healthcare professionals can join NKF to receive access
to tools and resources for both patients and professionals,
discounts on professional education, and access to a network of
thousands of individuals who treat patients with kidney
disease.
Kidney Disease Facts
In the
United States, 37 million adults are estimated to
have chronic kidney disease (CKD)—and approximately 90
percent don't know they have it. 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. is
at risk for chronic kidney disease. Risk factors for
kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart
disease, obesity, and family history. People who are Black or
African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska
Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific
Islander are at increased risk for developing the
disease. Black or African American people are almost 4 times
more likely than Whites to have kidney failure. Hispanic or Latino
people are 1.3 times more likely than non-Hispanic or non-Latino
people to have kidney failure.
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National
Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most
comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization
dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney
disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit
www.kidney.org.
Facebook.com
twitter.com/nkf
www.kidney.org
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SOURCE National Kidney Foundation