PERITONITIS IS a frequent complication of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and the most common cause of CAPD failure. About 60% of patients receiving CAPD will have at least one episode of peritonitis during the first year of this mode of dialysis, according to Ram Gokal, MD, Consultant Nephrologist and Honorary Lecturer at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. CAPD peritonitis is associated with catheter loss, adhesions, increased protein loss, return to hemodialysis, and considerable morbidity.

HIGH CUMULATIVE exposure to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with an increased risk for rapid CKD progression in the elderly, new data suggest.

HIGH AMBULATORY but normal or well-controlled office BP, a condition known as “reverse white-coat hypertension,” is an independent risk factor for microalbuminuria in patients with treated hypertension.

Older age, elevated BMI, and use of ACE inhibitors and/or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are associated with increased epoetin requirements when normalizing blood hemoglobin levels in CKD patients.

Pain elicited by the ice-water test helps differentiate painful bladder syndrome (PBS) from overactive bladder disorders, according to a new study.

The medical care care of patients with renal disease includes notonly disease-specific care but preventive and general care as well as the treatment of minor acute illnesses, according to Kevin M. Fosnocht, MD, clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is a well-known regulator of BP, and angiotensin II (AII) plays the primary role in constricting the postglomerular arterioles. This increases both the glomerular hydraulic pressure and the ultrafiltration of plasma proteinseffects that may con- tribute to chronic renal damage. AII may stimulate renal cell growth, inflammation, and fibrosis.

BONE MINERAL density (BMD) may be reduced and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels elevated in long-term renal transplant patients with good graft function, according to Swedish researchers.

ROTATING-SHIFT work is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, according to a Japanese study.

REGULAR USE of sildenafil lowers BP in patients with hypertension, according to researchers in the United Kingdom.