Nephrology - News & Articles

Risk factors for acute cardiac events in patients with community-acquired pneumonia

As published in the Journal of Infection, patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and acute cardiac events (ACEs) have a higher fatality rate (19.4%) than patients with CAP but without ACEs (6.4%). Of 3291 patients with CAP over a 15-year period, 315 had ACEs (8%; arrhythmias, n=199; congestive heart failure, n=118; myocardial infarction, n=30). Based on multivariate analysis, chronic heart disease, chronic kidney disease, tachycardia, septic shock, multilobar pneumonia, hypoalbuminemia, and pneumococcal pneumonia were associated with ACEs in patients with CAP.

Serum amyloid A is a sensitive biomarker for advanced renal cancer

Researchers from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Germany) have reported that serum amyloid A (SAA) has greater sensitivity in detecting advanced renal tumors than CRP or IL-6 levels. Specifically, the sensitivities and specificities of SAA, CRP, and IL-6 for advanced renal tumors were 78%, 69%, and 44%, and 82%, 82%, and 94%, respectively. Furthermore, the SAA levels were higher in patients with advanced renal tumors than patients with localized renal tumors.

NSAID-associated AKI more severe in young children

As published in the Journal of Pediatrics, NSAID-associated acute tubular necrosis and acute interstitial nephritis occurred in 21 and 6 of 1015 children with acute kidney injuries, respectively. Correct dosing of NSAIDs was confirmed in 75% of the children. Children < 5 years of age had more severe disease, more often requiring dialysis (100% vs. 0) and ICU admission (75% vs. 9%), and increased length of stay (10 d vs. 7 d).