https://medicalxpress.com/nephrology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Nephrology Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of chronic kidney disease, making prevention of kidney failure a key part of treatment. Newer diabetes medications, including GLP-1s and SGLT2 inhibitors, can reduce the risk of kidney disease, but previous studies have included large proportions of patients who already had signs of kidney damage, making it unclear whether the findings applied to patients without kidney damage. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-simple-urine-kidney-treatment-choices.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:30:04 EDT news708794101 In a clinical guideline published online Sept. 15 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, updated recommendations are presented for managing anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-anemia-chronic-kidney-disease.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 21:20:01 EDT news708696830 Iron is an essential micronutrient, but excess iron can damage cells and increase cancer risk. While many cells die from iron-induced oxidative stress, a subset survives and may become cancerous. Previously, the identity of these surviving cells was unclear. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-giant-nucleus-cells-key-markers.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:40:01 EDT news708339121 Risk factors for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease, a condition comprising heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity, can be identified in children as young as 8, UTHealth Houston researchers found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic-disease-factors.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 05:00:03 EDT news708247999 Nephrotic syndrome is caused when the filtering system in the kidneys is damaged, allowing large amounts of protein to leak into the urine. It is usually treated with steroids, but in some cases, steroids alone are insufficient, and long-term steroid use has serious side effects. Some patients develop a difficult-to-treat form of the disease that returns when the steroid dose is reduced. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-cells-rituximab-response-reveal-kidney.html Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:40:08 EDT news708251341 In January 2026, Tim Andrews, who had received a genetically edited pig kidney in January 2025, became the recipient of a human kidney. A new Mass General Brigham paper, published in The Lancet, details Andrews' experience and how xenotransplantation could bridge the gap between end-stage kidney failure and a human transplant, allowing a patient to forgo dialysis in the meantime. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-pig-kidney-xenotransplant-successfully-bridges.html Thu, 03 Sep 2026 18:30:02 EDT news707650501 A new risk stratification model developed by Northwestern Medicine scientists may help identify patients at lower risk of kidney transplant rejection, informing more personalized treatment and care strategies with fewer adverse side effects, as detailed in a recent study published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-patients-kidney-transplant.html Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:00:05 EDT news707658360 The first-ever European Society of Cardiology Guidelines on the management of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease have been developed in collaboration with the European Renal Association. The new guidelines were published online in the European Heart Journal and presented at ESC Congress 2026 on Aug. 29. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-guidelines-patients-heart-disease-kidney.html Sun, 30 Aug 2026 12:00:04 EDT news707126416 Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common inherited cause of kidney failure. Despite decades of research, treatment options for the disease remain limited, and many patients ultimately require dialysis or kidney transplantation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-protein-production-genetic-approach-polycystic.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:00:02 EDT news706881242 Kidney disease is silent in its early stages, progressing without symptoms until the disease is advanced. Researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, in collaboration with researchers at WashU Medicine and Texas A&M University, have been developing a minimally invasive method to improve diagnosis at earlier stages. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-painless-microneedle-patch-kidney-disease.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:20:13 EDT news706869721 Researchers at the University of Cologne, University Hospital Cologne and the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research have developed a method that, for the first time, enables damage to individual cells to be precisely quantified. The method uses molecular markers—specifically gene expression—and enables detailed analysis of disease progression in individual tissue samples, such as a biopsy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-gene-markers-quantify-individual-kidney.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:40:03 EDT news706537561 High blood pressure affects nearly 1 in 8 people worldwide, and its impact goes far beyond a number on a blood pressure monitor. It can quietly damage the heart, kidneys and brain, making it one of the world's biggest preventable health threats. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-experimental-drug-reversing-high-blood.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:00:06 EDT news706284117 Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is currently ranked the ninth-leading cause of death globally. However, up to half of cases may remain undetected despite the availability of simple urine and blood tests. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-life-threatening-kidney-disease-cases.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:40:02 EDT news706265582 Immunosuppressive medications help prevent organ rejection following transplantation, yet some patients still experience rejection despite receiving adequate treatment. New research from Yale, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, identifies a potential genetic mechanism underlying the increased risk in some patients of recent African ancestry, revealing changes in immune cell signaling that may contribute to kidney transplant rejection. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-genetic-variants-kidney-transplant.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:20:07 EDT news705665881 Previous studies have hinted that people surrounded by more environmental noise—low, deep rumblings from air-conditioning units, elevator motors, distant traffic and ventilation ducts—tend to have worse kidney function. But these studies could not identify which part of the noise was to blame or the specific ways it might affect the kidneys. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-household-range-mouse-kidneys-day.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 10:20:03 EDT news705315302 A human kidney is built once, before birth, and the rules guiding its construction have been largely inferred from animal models. Researchers at Penn Medicine have now read those rules directly in human tissue. They found that developing cells are steered by soluble signals released by their neighbors—and identified insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) as a key signal that sustains the kidney's stem-like cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-soluble-neighboring-cells-human-kidney.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:20:03 EDT news705235409 Approximately 850 million people globally (9.1% of the world's population) have chronic kidney disease (CKD). The number of affected individuals has grown steadily during the past 20 years and is on track to continue rising. Existing drugs, such as RAAS inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, are commonly prescribed, but their effectiveness varies from patient to patient. Moreover, these drugs can slow disease progression but cannot stop it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-cannabinoid-pathways-kidney-disease-ckd.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 15:00:04 EDT news704714722 An international research team led by the Medical University of Vienna reports on a new treatment strategy that has made kidney transplantation possible for a patient with no realistic chance of receiving a suitable donor organ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-cancer-drug-enables-kidney-transplant.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:20:01 EDT news704645881