An Unusual Presentation of Neurosarcoidosis.

BACKGROUND Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown cause, often affecting the lungs and lymphatic system. Neurologic manifestations of sarcoidosis, called "neurosarcoidosis", can present as cranial neuropathies and occur in an isolated fashion or alongside other systemic findings. These findings occur in about 5% to 15% of individuals, and mainly in women between the ages of 30 and 40 years. Within those subsets of patients who develop neurologic manifestations, ocular manifestations occur 13% to 79% of the time. Less common presentations include secondary glaucoma, intermediate or posterior inflammation, or other neuro-ophthalmic findings. CASE REPORT A 63-year-old White man initially presented with blurry vision, acute glaucoma, and other symptoms closely simulating hypertensive retinopathy. He later developed diplopia and was not accurately diagnosed by general ophthalmologists and a retina specialist. Due to the unusual presentation, hypertensive retinopathy was the incorrect initial working diagnosis and the patient continued to develop more severe symptoms. A multidisciplinary approach to patient care through a nephrology referral led to the final diagnosis of neurosarcoidosis. Prompt treatment improved renal function and ocular disturbances. CONCLUSIONS Retinal cotton-wool spots, glaucoma, and optic nerve swelling are rare presentations of neurosarcoidosis. Unusual vascular symptoms warrant consideration of all vascular diseases and prompts for collaboration through a multidisciplinary team. This case serves to highlight the importance of sarcoidosis as a differential, even in patients with no previous signs of granulomatous disease, and how a team-based approach between multiple specialties improves accuracy, timeliness, and treatment regimen.

Patiromer Acetate Induced Hypercalcemia: An Unreported Adverse Effect.

Hyperkalemia, a potential life threating condition, is a commonly encountered problem in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Patiromer acetate, a nonabsorbable cation exchange polymer, is a gastrointestinal agent for chronic therapy in patients with persistent hyperkalemia. Patiromer is generally well tolerated in patients; common side effects are gastrointestinal, such as diarrhea, constipation, flatulence, and vomiting. Hypercalcemia, although a theoretical possibility, has not been reported in any major clinical trials. We present a case of hypercalcemia associated with patiromer acetate used for treatment of hyperkalemia in a stage IV CKD patient. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of hypercalcemia while taking patiromer.

A Rare Case of Tubulointerstitial Nephritis and Uveitis Syndrome Treated with a Multi-Specialty Approach.

BACKGROUND It is important for an ophthalmologist and nephrologist to look for hidden causes of uveitis and nephritis, respectively. Delay in diagnosis leads to increased morbidity and failure to systemically manage the patient results in future recurrence of disease. It is likely that TINU remains underdiagnosed and could potentially account for some of the cases of idiopathic uveitis, especially when greater than 50% of uveitis cases have no identifiable cause. Fewer than 300 cases of tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU) syndrome have been reported. In TINU syndrome, inflammation affects the renal tubules, interstitial tissue, and uveal tract. Its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. CASE REPORT We report a rare case of TINU syndrome in a 23-year-old female who was treated using a multispecialty approach. Her primary care physician diagnosed her with proteinuria and acute kidney injury and referred her to the nephrologist, who later referred her to the ophthalmologist. A left kidney biopsy confirmed acute interstitial nephritis. Following the discovery of a "pink eye", the patient was referred to ophthalmology and diagnosed with anterior uveitis, confirming TINU syndrome. Without the additional findings of uveitis, the diagnosis would have been missed. Resolution was obtained through steroid therapy. CONCLUSIONS Correctly diagnosing TINU syndrome requires a multispecialty approach and may not be obvious upon initial presentation. Therefore, the ophthalmologist needs to consider TINU in the differential diagnosis for a patient with bilateral uveitis and evaluate a urinalysis for proteinuria as part of the work up.

Home blood pressure monitor use in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is recommended in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hypertension (HTN). However, little is known about the use and pattern of HBPM in CKD patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted in an out-patient nephrology clinic. A total of 285 patients participated in the study. Of all patients, 66% reported using HBPM. Self-reported compliance with BP medications (93.9% vs. 85.1%, p 0.03), exercise >3 days/week (45.9 vs. 26.3%, p <0.001) and dietary sodium restriction (85.6% vs. 71.6%, p < 0.001) were more common in HBPM users vs. non-HBPM users. Most patients with HBPM used upper arm cuff (82.3%), reported receiving education on correct use of HBPM (82.5%), had perception that home BP was controlled (75.4%) and believed that HBPM is helpful in managing hypertension (85.4%). Most common reason for not using HBPM was lack of advice by a physician (43.4%). HBPM use is common in patients with CKD and HTN. HBPM users are more likely to follow life-style and dietary modifications for blood pressure control.

Thrombopoietic status of patients on haemodialysis.

Thrombocytopenia is a potential dialysis-related treatment complication. Developments in bio-compatible dialyser membranes have decreased the occurrence of thrombocytopenia. We investigated whether thrombopoiesis is impaired in haemodialysis patients by measuring the thrombopoietin level and absolute immature platelet number (AIPN) in the blood of patients undergoing haemodialysis. Samples were collected from the dialysis tubing pre- and post- haemodialysis in a cohort of 45 well-characterized haemodialysis patients. Thrombopoietin levels and AIPN increased following haemodialysis, despite no change in platelet count. Observed increase in release of immature platelets from the bone marrow following haemodialysis indicates possible complement activation secondary to interaction between blood constituents and the dialysis membrane.

A case of dabigatran-associated acute renal failure.

Dabigatran is a direct thrombin inhibitor that reduces the risk of systemic embolism in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. We report a case of an elderly man who developed unexplained rapid decline in renal function 6 weeks after starting dabigatran. A renal biopsy was planned to find out the etiology of acute renal failure, but the patient has significantly prolonged coagulation parameters despite holding medication for 5 days per manufacturer's recommendation. He was started on hemodialysis due to worsening renal function and to ensure dabigatran clearance before renal biopsy. Renal biopsy showed renal atheroembolic disease, which was possibly induced by dabigatran. Although renal atheroembolic disease is a known rare complication following treatment with warfarin, heparin, and thrombolytic agents, this is the first reported case of renal atheroembolic disease potentially caused by dabigatran. This case also highlights the extended duration of prolonged coagulation parameters after holding dabigatran and its implication for timing of nonemergent invasive procedures.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in patients with chronic kidney disease and resistant hypertension.

The role of ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring (ABPM) has not been well-studied in patients with chronic kidney disease and resistant hypertension. In a retrospective study of the outpatient chronic kidney disease population, 156 patients with chronic kidney disease and resistant hypertension who had 24-hour ABPM and clinic BP measurements were identified. Resistant hypertension was defined as uncontrolled clinic BP while taking ≥ 3 medications including a diuretic or controlled BP while taking ≥ 4 medications. Within the study group, ambulatory BP <130/80 mm Hg was found in 35.9% of all patients. Only 6.4% had both ambulatory and clinic BP <130/80 mm Hg. Prevalence of white-coat hypertension, masked hypertension, and sustained hypertension were 29.5%, 5.8%, and 58.3%, respectively. Compared with patients with sustained hypertension, more patients in the white-coat hypertension group had low nocturnal average systolic BP (defined as nocturnal average systolic BP <100 mm Hg) (17.4% vs 0%) and low 24-hour average diastolic BP (defined as 24-hour average diastolic BP <60 mm Hg) (52.2% vs 22%, P<.01). ABPM provides more reliable assessment of BP in patients with chronic kidney disease and resistant hypertension.

Clinical outcomes associated with conversion from epoetin alfa to darbepoetin alfa in hospitalized hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hemodialysis patients are often hospitalized, during which time they require continuity of care in the inpatient setting. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes associated with a conversion algorithm from outpatient epoetin alfa to inpatient darbepoetin alfa in hospitalized hemodialysis patients at the St. Elizabeth Health Center. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of hemodialysis patient hospital admissions after a therapeutic interchange from epoetin alfa to darbepoetin alfa was implemented at St. Elizabeth Health Center. Chronic hemodialysis patients admitted from December 2002 to October 2003 were identified as part of a therapeutic interchange cohort receiving inpatient darbepoetin alfa after conversion from outpatient epoetin alfa according to the Aranesp package insert during their hospitalization. After discharge, these patients were returned to their preadmission outpatient epoetin alfa dosages and frequencies. Patients admitted prior to implementation of the therapeutic interchange (January 2002 to April 2002) received epoetin alfa during hospitalization and served as a historical control. Hemoglobin values were recorded prior to hospital admission, at the time of discharge, and 30 days after discharge. RESULTS: Mean hemoglobin levels declined from preadmission to discharge, in both the interchange and historical cohorts (6.6 and 2.5%, respectively) and rebounded at 30 days after discharge. Using a linear regression model, the only variables significantly associated with the hemoglobin level at discharge were the hemoglobin level before admission and receipt of a blood transfusion. CONCLUSION: An algorithm-based conversion from outpatient epoetin alfa to inpatient darbepoetin alfa for hospitalized chronic hemodialysis patients utilizing the dose conversion table specified in the Aranesp package insert is associated with hemoglobin outcomes similar to inpatient epoetin alfa.