Category Archives: Ethnicity
Geographic Variation in Black–White Differences in End-of-Life Care for Patients with ESRD
Hemodialysis.com eInterview with
Bernadette Thomas MD
University of Washington
Department of Nephrology
Seattle, Washington
Written Interview conducted with author by Editor Marie Benz, MD
Hemodialysis.com: What are the major findings of your study?
Dr. Thomas: The major findings of the study are:
1. There are pronounced black-white differences in end-of-life outcomes among patients with ESRD.
2. These differences vary substantially across regions of the United States.
3. Geography plays a role in differences in end-of-life outcomes for both whites and blacks.
Marie Benz, MD on Google+Influence of Wasting on Hyperparathyroidism in Black Diabetic Hemodialysis Patients
Hemodialysis.com Interview with Rapeepat Lekkham, MD
Nephrology Fellow,
Albert Einstein Medical Center,
Philadelphia, PA
Hemodialysis.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Lekkham: We conducted the retrospective study on hemodialysis patients who mainly (92.9%) were black and stratified by the absence or presence of wasting syndrome (which defined by serum albumin less than 3.8 g/dl, normalized protein nitrogen appearance (nPNA) less than 0.8 g/kg/day and BMI less than 23 kg/m2) and the association with secondary hyperparathyroidism. Compared to non-diabetic patients, our study found that diabetic patients had a higher mean serum iPTH. Also, serum iPTH was higher in all diabetic non-wasting subgroups patients as well. Other related parameters including mean serum phosphate, serum alkaline phosphatase, the requirement of cinacalcet, vitamin D analogues and phosphate binders were comparable in both groups.
The Associations between Race and Geographic Area and Quality-of-Care Indicators in Patients Approaching ESRD
Hemodialysis.com: Interview with
Guofen Yan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine
University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia 22908-0717
Hemodialysis.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Yan: A body of evidence has established that timely receipt of care from a kidney specialist over the course of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is important for receiving optimal kidney care, including slowing the disease, improving survival while on long-term dialysis, and increasing the likelihood of receiving a kidney transplant. While clinical guidelines recommend that all patients in later stages of CKD be under the care of kidney specialists, 25% to 50% of patients on dialysis in the United States had not received such care before they developed kidney failure, or end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
Impact of race on cumulative exposure to antihypertensive medications in dialysis
Hemodialysis.com Author Interview: Theresa I. Shireman, PhD, RPh
Professor
Director, MS-CR and TL1 Training Program
Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health
Department of Health Policy & Management
University of Kansas School of Medicine
Hemodialysis.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Shireman: We found differential exposure over time to three classes of antihypertensives (ACE inhibitors/ARBs, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers) among chronic dialysis patients. Their exposure varied according to race/ethnicity, with African-Americans and Hispanics having lower levels of exposure over time as compared to Caucasians.
Spot Urine Tests in Predicting 24-Hour Urine Sodium Excretion in Asian Patients
Hemodialysis.com: Author Interview:
Srinivas Subramanian, MB, BS, ABIM Department of Medicine
Division of Nephrology, National University Hospital
Singapore 119228.
Hemodialysis.com: What are the main findings of the study?
A spot urine sodium test in combination with ethnicity and body weight can be applied inn an equation to detect 24-hour urine excretion of <100 mmol in a multi-ethnic asian population with moderate accuracy.
Survival Advantage in Black Versus White Men With CKD: Effect of Estimated GFR and Case Mix
Hemodialysis.com Author Interview: Csaba P. Kovesdy MD FASN.
The Fred Hatch Professor of Medicine
Director, Clinical Outcomes and Clinical Trials Program in Nephrology
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Chief of Nephrology
Division of Nephrology, Memphis VA Medical Center
Hemodialysis.com Editor Marie Benz: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Kovesdy: In this very large cohort of male US veterans, African Americans with all stages of non-dialysis dependent CKD had significantly lower mortality compared to Caucasian patients.
The more advanced the CKD stage was, the more accentuated this difference became.
