https://medicalxpress.com/nephrology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Nephrology Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a condition in which the kidneys suddenly lose their ability to filter waste from the blood. Developing within hours or days, AKI can cause dangerous waste accumulation and disrupt the body's fluid balance. It is a frequent and serious complication among hospitalized infants and children, often linked to higher mortality rates, prolonged hospital stays, and an increased need for mechanical ventilation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-kidney-crisis-childhood-shadow-health.html Wed, 20 May 2026 09:20:01 EDT news698487345 Among young adults with kidney failure, the expansion of Medicaid following the Affordable Care Act signed into law in 2010 was associated with substantial declines in one-year death rates, researchers from Brown University found in a new study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-policy-shift-odds-young-adults.html Sun, 17 May 2026 08:00:04 EDT news697733913 A study published in the journal Scientific Reports has shown a strong correlation between the concentration of particulate matter in the air of São Paulo, Brazil—primarily emitted by vehicle fuel combustion—and kidney disease. The study estimated the risk of hospitalization for three kidney conditions based on the levels of this type of air pollution from 2011 to 2021. Men across different age groups were found to be at the highest risk of hospitalization. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-fine-particle-pollution-hospitalizations-kidney.html Wed, 13 May 2026 16:16:45 EDT news697907761 A new way to detect the onset of heart and kidney disease far earlier than previously possible has been discovered by scientists. The breakthrough, published today in Nature Communications, reveals a novel method for identifying damage to the lining of microscopic blood vessels. This transforms our ability to detect disease at its very earliest stages, before it progresses and becomes potentially life-threatening. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-blood-enables-earlier-heart-kidney.html Tue, 12 May 2026 09:20:08 EDT news697796281 MUSC researchers are tackling MASH, or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, a liver disease affecting hundreds of millions worldwide. It is also a leading cause of liver transplantation, yet treatment options remain limited. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-common-asthma-drug-reversing-fatty.html Fri, 08 May 2026 13:00:04 EDT news697463101 Scientists have taken a giant leap forward with the development of tiny microneedles designed to detect subtle but critical changes in how the liver and kidneys process therapeutic drugs. The experimental technology, under development at the University of California, Los Angeles, aims to overcome longstanding limitations that have hindered wearable microneedle biosensors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-gold-coated-microneedles-subtleties-liver.html Fri, 08 May 2026 11:20:01 EDT news697456355 A new study is raising questions about whether human endurance has biological limits shaped long before adulthood—possibly beginning at birth. Researchers are examining whether birth weight, a known risk factor for disease later in life, may also influence how the body responds to extreme endurance exercise. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-limit-surfaces-birth.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:20:04 EDT news696781531 A detailed new map of the human kidney revealed a previously unrecognized form of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) marked by clusters of immune cells—specifically B cells—that are linked to faster disease progression. The findings could help guide more targeted treatments in the future, according to study results led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and published in Nature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-cell-clusters-kidneys-faster-diabetic.html Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:20:06 EDT news696683581 Kidney damage is a serious complication affecting individuals with lupus, an autoimmune disease where immune B cells malfunction and produce antibodies that attack the body's own cells, tissues, and organs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-cells-culprit-kidney-lupus.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:20:01 EDT news696585602 Wearable technologies are starting to reshape how people manage health. Continuous glucose monitors that measure blood sugar levels in diabetes patients have already shown the power of tracking an important molecule in real time. The next leap is to track other medically important molecules. However, doing so is far more difficult because most of those molecules are present at much lower concentrations than glucose. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-skin-deep-microneedle-sensor-tracks.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:40:01 EDT news695650742 A new blood test can identify which individuals of African ancestry carrying high-risk APOL1 gene variants are most likely to develop kidney failure, years before clinical disease becomes apparent. Findings on the new test, developed by a team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, are published in Nature Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-blood-kidney-failure-black-americans.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:00:10 EDT news695379661 Scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging have shown that an orally administered small molecule, N-propargylglycine (N-PPG), can completely prevent the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones, protect against kidney failure, and fully restore normal survival in a mouse model of primary hyperoxaluria type 2 (PH2), a rare and currently untreatable genetic disorder that causes progressive kidney failure in infants and young adults. An estimated 1,700 people suffer from the disease in the US, although experts believe many more cases go undiagnosed. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-small-molecule-drug-candidate-rare.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:30:01 EDT news694368001 Recently analyzed evidence points to a connection between oral health and kidney health, according to work led by University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researchers. Their article, published in BMC Nephrology, combined evidence from more than 150 previously published papers, including observational studies, meta-analyses and interventional trials, and identified growing evidence of oral-renal interactions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-link-chronic-kidney-disease-periodontal.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:40:06 EDT news694175297 Despite an urgent demand for kidney donors in the U.S., about 1 in 4 donor kidneys goes unused. In 2022, more than 71,000 people were on the kidney transplant waiting list, with waitlists often extending as long as five years for a donor kidney. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-kidney-transplant-opportunity.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 19:00:02 EDT news693760611 An international research collaboration led by Queen Mary University of London and University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa has published the most comprehensive genomic investigation of kidney function ever conducted in African populations. The study sheds new light on the genetics of chronic kidney disease (CKD) across diverse African populations and will support future work aimed at improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease among these populations and worldwide. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-largest-genomic-kidney-function-africa.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:20:01 EDT news693748261