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 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to stop routinely reporting albumin-adjusted ("corrected") calcium, arguing that the longstanding practice is outdated, unreliable in many clinical settings, and may contribute to patient harm.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 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 For adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3 or 4, lower dietary protein intake (DPI) is associated with lower dialysis risk, with no indication of nutritional harm, according to a study published online April 28 in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-dietary-protein-intake-linked-dialysis.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:40:08 EDT news696782881 Excessive phosphate loading within the proximal tubular lumen has been proposed as a key mechanism driving progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) through calcium phosphate microcrystallopathy. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba demonstrated that individuals with higher estimated proximal tubular fluid phosphate (ePTFp) concentration—a noninvasive index derived from blood and urine measurements—experience a more rapid age-related decline in kidney function. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-higher-tubular-phosphate-linked-faster.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:20:04 EDT news696773461 For an elderly patient facing end-stage kidney disease, the default answer has long been dialysis. But a new study by Duke-NUS Medical School and its collaborators at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and the National University Hospital (NUH) suggests that giving patients and their families the right information, at the right time, can meaningfully change that calculus. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-app-decision-mykidney-patients-choices.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:00:01 EDT news696744481 Approximately 35 million adults in the United States suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD), and that number is growing. Meanwhile, there's a critical shortage of nephrologists to manage these patients, according to Calvin Meaney, PharmD, clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice who specializes in nephrology at the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-pharmacists-kidney-disease-team-outcomes.html Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:40:03 EDT news696680206 "Contrast harms the kidneys"—this belief has been present among patients for years, and sometimes also among physicians. In clinical practice, it may raise concerns about imaging examinations and procedures that use contrast agents. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-contrast-agents-imaging-kidneys.html Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:20:06 EDT news696696994 For adults undergoing maintenance in-center hemodialysis, longer dialysis times are associated with better survival, according to a study published in the June issue of Kidney International Reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-longer-dialysis-survival.html Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:20:01 EDT news696689654 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 Nonperfusion area detected by swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) may predict diabetic nephropathy (DN) severity, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-swept-source-optical-coherence-tomography.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 22:40:01 EDT news696597858 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 A nine-protein apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) Proteomic Risk Score (APRS) enables accurate prediction of kidney disease progression in APOL1 high-risk individuals, according to a study published online April 15 in Nature Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-apol1-proteomic-score-kidney-disease.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 21:40:01 EDT news696523468 Researchers at University of Tsukuba have elucidated the molecular pathogenesis of multicentric carpotarsal osteolysis (MCTO), a rare hereditary disorder that frequently results in renal failure. Using a mouse model, they demonstrated that MCTO is caused by mutations in a transcription factor expressed in glomerular epithelial cells. In addition, they found that pharmacological inhibition of the associated signaling pathway ameliorates renal dysfunction. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-rare-bone-disease-mutation-linked.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:00:06 EDT news696511141 People with advanced heart, kidney, and metabolic disease may face a higher risk of developing cancer, according to new research published in Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes. The combination of heart, kidney, and metabolic conditions (diabetes and obesity) is known as cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, or CKM syndrome. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-heart-kidney-metabolic-health-worsen.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 05:00:11 EDT news696231960 For patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), cognitive impairment (CI) is associated with worse outcomes, according to a study published in the May issue of Kidney International Reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-cognitive-impairment-linked-worse-outcomes.html Sat, 25 Apr 2026 19:00:02 EDT news696256831 Kidney diseases develop slowly and may not produce any obvious symptoms for a long time. The body can compensate for them so effectively that the patient remains unaware of the problem for years. It is only in more advanced stages that symptoms appear—often nonspecific ones, such as fatigue or swelling. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-kidney-disease-earlier-decline.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:00:05 EDT news696251137 The body's immune reaction to increased levels of a toxic molecule, part of a bacterial species in the human gut, may reveal who is most at risk of developing lupus nephritis, according to a new study led by NYU Langone Health. In people with the disease, which often leads to long-term kidney damage, the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. Bouts of lupus nephritis have been tied by past studies to upticks in growth of the bacterial species Ruminococcus gnavus. This triggers excess production of the key molecule, a lipoglycan, which is a key part of the bacterium's outer wall. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-high-gut-bacterial-toxin-trigger.html Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:01 EDT news696091005 Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed treatment for many types of cancer. In some patients, however, ICIs are associated with immune-related complications that can affect the kidneys. These complications sometimes require care teams to pause or discontinue lifesaving treatment. A study led by Sandra Herrmann, M.D., an onconephrologist and researcher at Mayo Clinic, helps clarify how immune-related kidney inflammation develops and provides preclinical evidence supporting a targeted approach that could improve how these side effects are managed—and could potentially be prevented. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-therapy-kidney-complications-enable-lifesaving.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:20:09 EDT news696086282 Speaking at the 46th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT), held from April 22–25 at the Metro Toronto Convention Center in Toronto, ON, Canada, Jagbir Gill, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the University of British Columbia (UBC), shared practical strategies for reducing disparities in access to transplantation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-canadian-nephrologist-common-patient-centered.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:04 EDT news695977585 What began as research aimed at expanding the limited treatment options for cystinuria, a rare genetic disorder affecting 1 in every 7,000 people, characterized by the recurrent formation of cystine stones in the kidneys and urinary tract, could become a potential solution for millions of people worldwide affected by kidney stones (5%–10% of the global population). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-therapeutic-potential-natural-antioxidant-kidney.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:20:02 EDT news695994302 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