https://medicalxpress.com/nephrology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Nephrology Artificial intelligence can help predict a patient's risk for conditions such as sepsis, heart disease and cancer. But many of these tools fall short in real-life clinical practice because they are difficult for doctors to interpret and trust. Researchers at UC San Francisco have developed a new way to use AI to build clinical prediction tools that combines the speed of artificial intelligence with the judgment of human experts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ai-framework-doctors-tools.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 08:20:04 EDT news700902181 A drug previously developed at UCLA to help heart tissue repair itself after a heart attack might also help kidney tissue repair and regenerate, researchers have found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-kidney-protein-blockade-scarring-faster.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 16:00:01 EDT news700843681 Belzutifan, a first-in-class drug that arose from scientific discoveries at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat some patients with earlier-stage kidney cancers in combination with an immunotherapy drug. This move marks the latest expansion of belzutifan's indications after it was originally approved in 2021. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-fda-kidney-cancer-drug-belzutifan.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 08:00:02 EDT news700809182 Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a previously unrecognized way the kidneys regulate water balance—an advance that could lead to improved treatments for polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and other disorders. The study, led by Fouad Chebib, M.D., a nephrologist at Mayo Clinic, is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-1940s-era-drug-uncover-kidney.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:04 EDT news700736006 Female patients with kidney failure are significantly less likely to be referred to a transplant center for assessment, according to a new study from ICES, London Health Sciences Center Research Institute (LHSCRI) and Western University. The disadvantage widened with increasing age. The findings were published in the May issue of the Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-gender-gap-kidney-transplant-referrals.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 21:00:01 EDT news700736667 Kidney transplantation remains the most effective treatment for end-stage kidney disease, yet a severe shortage of donor organs continues to limit access for millions of patients worldwide. With demand for kidney transplants expected to reach 5 million patients by 2030 and only a fraction of that need currently being met, researchers are exploring innovative approaches to generate transplantable organs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-rat-kidneys-grown-mice-insights.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 11:00:12 EDT news700296866 Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that the hormone FGF23 reduces the production of red blood cells and may contribute to the development of anemia in chronic kidney disease, according to a recent study published in Blood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hormone-impacts-red-blood-cell.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:00:06 EDT news700226822 The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, along with two other leading medical organizations, have developed the first-ever guideline aimed at preventing and managing cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, an interconnected set of health conditions that significantly increase the risk of multiorgan complications and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-guideline-cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic-syndrome.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:00:06 EDT news700132456 An investigator at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has received international recognition for innovative imaging research that may help physicians identify patients at increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) before they undergo surgery for kidney tumors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-mri-method-kidney-disease.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 10:40:01 EDT news700215902 LRBA deficiency has long been viewed primarily as an immune disorder, but researchers at Science Tokyo have found that the condition may also impair urinary concentrating ability. Using patient registry data from 43 individuals, mouse models and protein analysis, the study found that LRBA deficiency can cause excessive urination and electrolyte abnormalities, highlighting the need for closer fluid and sodium monitoring in affected patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hidden-kidney-effects-emerge-lrba.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:40:01 EDT news700148315 A series of major studies has shown that finerenone preserves kidney function, reduces cardiovascular risk, and improves survival across a much broader range of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) than it is currently recommended for. These benefits extend beyond diabetes to non-diabetic CKD and glomerular diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-kidney-drug-finerenone-millions-patients.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 06:50:01 EDT news699785581 New research presented at the 63rd ERA Congress suggests that a widely used class of blood pressure medications may be associated with poorer kidney outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D), even among patients already receiving modern kidney-protective treatments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-common-blood-pressure-medication-poorer.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:10:01 EDT news699781801 The thresholds for kidney function currently used to diagnose chronic kidney disease (CKD) reflect a true increase in the risk of serious illness, according to a study from Karolinska Institutet and Leiden University Medical Center published in JAMA. The researchers also show that risk assessment becomes more accurate when two common blood tests, creatinine and cystatin C, are combined to estimate kidney function. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-threshold-kidney-disease-accurate.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:20:05 EDT news699805021 More adults are surviving both the wait for an organ and transplant surgery, but the number of people who need transplants continues to exceed the number of organs available, especially for kidneys, according to a national analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-transplant-survival-shortages-persist-limit.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:20:08 EDT news699789181 New findings from the landmark FLOW trial, presented at the 63rd ERA Congress, show that once-weekly semaglutide significantly improved health-related quality of life in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, equivalent to around eight additional days in full health per year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-semaglutide-linked-quality-life-diabetes.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:10:01 EDT news699697921 A pioneering clinical trial has successfully enabled two patients with end-stage kidney disease to receive previously improbable kidney transplants. These individuals were considered among the most difficult in the nation to match with a compatible donor kidney due to harmful antibodies they had developed ("sensitized"). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-car-treatment-door-patients-kidney.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:00:05 EDT news699715466 Women with chronic kidney disease are less likely than men to be diagnosed, represented in research and given treatments that have been properly tested in them. That is the central finding of a new paper published today in The Lancet, which warns that decades of male-dominated clinical research have left women systematically disadvantaged at every stage of the disease. Chronic kidney disease already affects 844 million adults worldwide and is projected to become the fifth leading cause of death globally by 2040. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-women-kidney-disease-undertested-undertreated.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:40:02 EDT news699701762 Significant underdiagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD), now the ninth leading cause of death globally, is endangering millions of patients around the world and could be improved with the increased use of a simple urine test. The stark health care message is laid out in a landmark series of research papers, published in The Lancet by a global team of experts who are now calling for a renewed focus on CKD diagnosis and treatments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-life-threatening-kidney-disease-cases.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 03:30:01 EDT news699530282 Celiac disease (CeD) is associated with a nearly tripled risk for needing a solid organ transplantation, according to a study published online May 28 in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-celiac-disease-higher-solid-transplants.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:40:01 EDT news699624202 A molecule once thought to be a harmful metabolic byproduct may play a crucial role in early development and gene regulation, according to a new study published in Nature that challenges decades of biochemical assumptions. In the study, Northwestern Medicine investigators found that L-2-hydroxyglutarate (L-2-HG)—a compound previously associated with rare metabolic disorders—acts as a signaling molecule that helps regulate gene expression and supports normal growth in mice. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-toxic-molecule-play-vital-role.html Thu, 28 May 2026 15:00:01 EDT news699196801 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 An international coalition of experts in laboratory medicine, osteoporosis, and chronic kidney disease is calling for laboratories to stop routinely reporting albumin-adjusted ("corrected") calcium, arguing that the longstanding practice is outdated, unreliable in many clinical settings, and may contribute to patient harm. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-international-experts-routine-calcium.html Mon, 18 May 2026 18:00:05 EDT news698324434 New-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) may accelerate kidney function decline, according to a study published online May 14 in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-onset-fib-kidney-function-decline.html Mon, 18 May 2026 15:00:05 EDT news698331401 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 clinical decision support system (CDSS) for chronic kidney disease (CKD) does not improve physician behavior or patient outcomes over a control intervention, according to a study published online May 8 in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-clinical-decision-chronic-kidney-disease.html Thu, 14 May 2026 21:00:03 EDT news697987788 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 Metabolic and bariatric surgery, also known as weight-loss surgery, dramatically improves outcomes for patients with obesity and chronic kidney disease (CKD), significantly reducing the risk of kidney failure, major cardiovascular events and death, according to new research presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS2026). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-bariatric-surgery-slashes-kidney-failure.html Tue, 05 May 2026 07:00:03 EDT news697096801