Intensive blood-pressure control in hypertensive chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: In observational studies, the relationship between blood pressure and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is direct and progressive. The burden of hypertension-related chronic kidney disease and ESRD is especially high among black patients. Yet few trials have tested whether intensive blood-pressure control retards the progression of chronic kidney disease among black patients. METHODS: We randomly assigned 1094 black patients with hypertensive chronic kidney disease to receive either intensive or standard blood-pressure control. After completing the trial phase, patients were invited to enroll in a cohort phase in which the blood-pressure target was less than 130/80 mm Hg. The primary clinical outcome in the cohort phase was the progression of chronic kidney disease, which was defined as a doubling of the serum creatinine level, a diagnosis of ESRD, or death. Follow-up ranged from 8.8 to 12.2 years. RESULTS: During the trial phase, the mean blood pressure was 130/78 mm Hg in the intensive-control group and 141/86 mm Hg in the standard-control group. During the cohort phase, corresponding mean blood pressures were 131/78 mm Hg and 134/78 mm Hg. In both phases, there was no significant between-group difference in the risk of the primary outcome (hazard ratio in the intensive-control group, 0.91; P=0.27). However, the effects differed according to the baseline level of proteinuria (P=0.02 for interaction), with a potential benefit in patients with a protein-to-creatinine ratio of more than 0.22 (hazard ratio, 0.73; P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In overall analyses, intensive blood-pressure control had no effect on kidney disease progression. However, there may be differential effects of intensive blood-pressure control in patients with and those without baseline proteinuria. (Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and others.)

Psychological Adaptation to Serious Illness: A Qualitative Study of Culturally Diverse Patients With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease.

CONTEXT: Psychological distress is associated with adverse health outcomes in serious illness and magnified among patients of low socioeconomic status. Aspects of one's culture, such as religion and spirituality, can influence these patients' coping response to distress. Advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious illness that disproportionately affects patients of low socioeconomic status, but a theory-based understanding of this group's lived experience of CKD is lacking. OBJECTIVES: We explored the cognitions, emotions, and coping behaviors of patients with CKD with emphasis on those of low socioeconomic status. We further inquired into any influences of religion or spirituality. METHODS: We interviewed 50 English-speaking or Spanish-speaking adults with advanced CKD from three medical centers in Nashville, Tennessee. Analyses occurred with isolation of themes; development of a coding system; and creation of a conceptual framework using an inductive-deductive approach. RESULTS: Median age was 65 years; median annual income was $17,500 per year; and 48% of participants had not progressed beyond high school. Key beliefs (awareness of mortality and lack of control) influenced patients' emotions (existential distress in the form of death anxiety, prognostic uncertainty, and hopelessness) and coping behaviors (acceptance, avoidance, emotion regulation via spirituality, and seeking socialsupport via a religious community). CONCLUSION: Individuals with advanced CKD and low socioeconomic status lack control over disease progression, experience death anxiety and existential distress, and emphasize spirituality to cope. Our study identifies novel components for a psychotherapeutic intervention for patients with advanced CKD at high risk for adverse health outcomes.

Retroperitoneal fibrosis: a rare cause of acute renal failure.

Introduction. Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare cause of acute renal failure (ARF) with only a handful of cases reported in literature. We report a case of a 40-year-old male with an incidental finding of retroperitoneal fibrosis. Case Presentation. Patient is a 40-year-old African American male with no significant past medical history who presented with a four-month history of low back pain and associated nausea with vomiting. Physical examination was significant for elevated blood pressure at 169/107 mmhg and bilateral pedal edema. Significant admission laboratory include blood urea nitrogen (BUN) of 108 mg/dL, serum creatinine (Cr) of 23 mg/dL, bicarbonate of 19 mg/dL, and potassium of 6.2 mmL/L. Renal ultrasound showed bilateral hydronephrosis. Post-void residual urine volume was normal. Abdominopelvic CT scan showed retroperitoneal fibrosis confirmed with fine-needle biopsy. He was treated with a combination of bilateral ureteral stent placement, hemodialysis, and steroid therapy. Four months after hospital discharge, his BUN and Cr levels Improved to 18 mg/dL and 1.25 mg/dL, respectively. Conclusion. Retroperitoneal fibrosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients with acute renal failure and obstructive uropathy. Abdominal CT scan is the examination of choice for diagnosis. Full resolution with treatment depends on the duration of obstruction.

Relationship between ambulatory BP and clinical outcomes in patients with hypertensive CKD.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Abnormal ambulatory BP (ABP) profiles are commonplace in CKD, yet the prognostic value of ABP for renal and cardiovascular outcomes is uncertain. This study assessed the relationship of baseline ABP profiles with CKD progression and subsequent cardiovascular outcomes to determine the prognostic value of ABP beyond that of clinic BP measurements. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Between 2002 and 2003, 617 African Americans with hypertensive CKD treated to a clinic BP goal of <130/80 mmHg were enrolled in this prospective, observational study. Participants were followed for a median of 5 years. Primary renal outcome was a composite of doubling of serum creatinine, ESRD, or death. The primary cardiovascular outcome was a composite of myocardial infarction, hospitalized congestive heart failure, stroke, revascularization procedures, cardiovascular death, and ESRD. RESULTS: Multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that higher 24-hour systolic BP (SBP), daytime, night-time, and clinic SBP were each associated with subsequent renal (hazard ratio, 1.17-1.28; P<0.001) and cardiovascular outcomes (hazard ratio, 1.22-1.32; P<0.001). After controlling for clinic SBP, ABP measures were predictive of renal outcomes in participants with clinic SBP <130 mmHg (P<0.05 for interaction). ABP predicted cardiovascular outcomes with no interaction based on clinic BP control. CONCLUSIONS: ABP provides additional information beyond that of multiple clinic BP measures in predicting renal and cardiovascular outcomes in African Americans with hypertensive CKD. The primary utility of ABP in these CKD patients was to identify high-risk individuals among those patients with controlled clinic BP.

Milk alkali and hydrochlorothiazide: a case report.

Hypercalcemia is a relatively common clinical problem in both outpatient and inpatient settings. Primary pathophysiology is the entry of calcium that exceeds its excretion into urine or deposition in bone into circulation. Among a wide array of causes of hypercalcemia, hyperparathyroidism and malignancy are the most common, accounting for greater than 90 percent of cases. Concordantly, there has been a resurgence of milk-alkali syndrome associated with the ingestion of large amounts of calcium and absorbable alkali, making it the third leading cause of hypercalcemia (Beall and Scofield, 1995 and Picolos et al., 2005). This paper centers on a case of over-the-counter calcium and alkali ingestion for acid reflux leading to milk alkali with concordant use of thiazide diuretic for hypertension.