The social drivers of health for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth in the United States.

Objectives: To describe the social drivers of health and health status of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) youth in the US. Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of the 2014 NHPI National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) which surveyed about 3,000 NHPI households, including 1,428 NHPI youth (884 0-12 yo, 421 13-17 yo, and 123 18-21 yo). We described domains of social drivers of health (SDoH), health conditions, and associations of income and food insecurity with body mass index (BMI) for NHPI youth. Results: NHPI youth come from households with a wide range in income. Approximately 20% of the cohort were food insecure. Among 18-21 yo, 10% report chronic medical conditions (5% with prediabetes). 33% of 13-17 yo and 52% of 18-21 yo were overweight/ obese. For 13-17 yo, lower income was associated with higher BMI. There was no association between food insecurity and BMI for any age group. Conclusions: Overweight/ obesity are highly prevalent among NHPI youth which is concerning for development of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular and kidney disease. Health efforts should focus on SDoH, obesity prevention and management for NHPI youth.

Discriminatory Healthcare Experiences and Medical Mistrust in Patients With Serious Illness.

CONTEXT: Though discrimination in healthcare settings is increasingly recognized, the discriminatory experiences of patients with serious illness has not been well studied. OBJECTIVES: Describe racial differences in patient-reported experiences with discrimination in the healthcare setting and examine its association with mistrust. METHODS: We used surveys containing patient-reported frequency of discrimination using the Discrimination in Medical Setting (DMS) and Microaggressions in Health Care Settings (MHCS) scales, mistrust using the Group Based Medical Mistrust (GBMM) scale, and patient characteristics including patient-reported race, income, wealth, insurance status, and educational attainment. Univariable and multivariable linear regression models as well as risk ratios were used to examine associations between patient characteristics including self-reported race, and DMS, MHCS, and GBMM scores. RESULTS: In 174 participants with serious illness, racially minoritized patients were more likely to report experiencing discrimination and microaggressions. In adjusted analyses, DMS scores were associated with elements of class and not with race. Black, Native American/Alaskan Native (NA/AN), and multiracial participants had higher MHCS scores compared to White participants with similar levels of income and education. Higher income was associated with lower GBMM scores in participants with similar DMS or MHCS scores, but Black and NA/AN participants still reported higher levels of mistrust. CONCLUSION: In this cross-sectional study of patients with serious illness, discriminatory experiences were associated with worse mistrust in the medical system, particularly for Black and NA/AN participants. These findings suggest that race-conscious approaches are needed to address discrimination and mistrust in marginalized patients with serious illness and their families.

Physician Perspectives on Addressing Anti-Black Racism.

Importance: Uncertainty remains among clinicians regarding processes to address and resolve conflict around anti-Black racism. Objective: To elicit clinicians' perceptions of their role in addressing concerns about anti-Black racism among Black patients with serious illness as well as their families. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this qualitative study, one-on-one semistructured interviews were conducted with 21 physicians at an academic county hospital between August 1 and October 31, 2022. Participants were provided clinical scenarios where anti-Black racism was a concern of a patient with serious illness. Participants were asked open-ended questions about initial impressions, prior similar experiences, potential strategies to address patients' concerns, and additional resources to support these conversations. A framework based on restorative justice was used to guide qualitative analyses. Main Outcomes and Measures: Perspectives on addressing anti-Black racism as described by physicians. Results: A total of 21 medical subspecialists (mean [SD] age, 44.2 [7.8] years) participated in the study. Most physicians were women (14 [66.7%]), 4 were Asian (19.0%), 3 were Black (14.3%), and 14 were White (66.7%). Participants identified practices that are normalized in clinical settings that may perpetuate and exacerbate perceptions of anti-Black racism. Using provided scenarios and personal experiences, participants were able to describe how Black patients are harmed as a result of these practices. Last, participants identified strategies and resources for addressing Black patients' concerns and facilitating conflict resolution, but they stopped short of promoting personal or team accountability for anti-Black racism. Conclusions and Relevance: In this qualitative study, physicians identified resources, skills, and processes that partially aligned with a restorative justice framework to address anti-Black racism and facilitate conflict resolution, but did not provide steps for actualizing accountability. Restorative justice and similar processes may provide space within a mediated setting for clinicians to repair harm, provide accountability, and facilitate racial healing.

Perspectives About Racism and Patient-Clinician Communication Among Black Adults With Serious Illness.

Importance: Black patients with serious illness experience higher-intensity care at the end of life. Little research has used critical, race-conscious approaches to examine factors associated with these outcomes. Objective: To investigate the lived experiences of Black patients with serious illness and how various factors may be associated with patient-clinician communication and medical decision-making. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this qualitative study, one-on-one, semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 Black patients with serious illness hospitalized at an urban academic medical center in Washington State between January 2021 and February 2023. Patients were asked to discuss experiences with racism, how those experiences affected the way they communicated with clinicians, and how racism impacted medical decision-making. Public Health Critical Race Praxis was used as framework and process. Main Outcomes and Measures: The experience and of racism and its association, as described by Black patients who had serious illness, with patient-clinician communication and medical decision-making within a racialized health care setting. Results: A total of 25 Black patients (mean [SD] age, 62.0 [10.3] years; 20 males [80.0%]) with serious illness were interviewed. Participants had substantial socioeconomic disadvantage, with low levels of wealth (10 patients with 0 assets [40.0%]), income (annual income <$25 000 among 19 of 24 patients with income data [79.2%]), educational attainment (mean [SD] 13.4 [2.7] years of schooling), and health literacy (mean [SD] score in the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine-Short Form, 5.8 [2.0]). Participants reported high levels of medical mistrust and high frequency of discrimination and microaggressions experienced in health care settings. Participants reported epistemic injustice as the most common manifestation of racism: silencing of their own knowledge and lived experiences about their bodies and illness by health care workers. Participants reported that these experiences made them feel isolated and devalued, especially if they had intersecting, marginalized identities, such as being underinsured or unhoused. These experiences were associated with exacerbation of existing medical mistrust and poor patient-clinician communication. Participants described various mechanisms of self-advocacy and medical decision-making based on prior experiences with mistreatment from health care workers and medical trauma. Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that Black patients' experiences with racism, specifically epistemic injustice, were associated with their perspectives on medical care and decision-making during serious illness and end of life. These findings suggest that race-conscious, intersectional approaches may be needed to improve patient-clinician communication and support Black patients with serious illness to alleviate the distress and trauma of racism as these patients near the end of life.

Management of Acute Coronary Syndrome in the Older Adult Population: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Diagnostic and therapeutic advances during the past decades have substantially improved health outcomes for patients with acute coronary syndrome. Both age-related physiological changes and accumulated cardiovascular risk factors increase the susceptibility to acute coronary syndrome over a lifetime. Compared with younger patients, outcomes for acute coronary syndrome in the large and growing demographic of older adults are relatively worse. Increased atherosclerotic plaque burden and complexity of anatomic disease, compounded by age-related cardiovascular and noncardiovascular comorbid conditions, contribute to the worse prognosis observed in older individuals. Geriatric syndromes, including frailty, multimorbidity, impaired cognitive and physical function, polypharmacy, and other complexities of care, can undermine the therapeutic efficacy of guidelines-based treatments and the resiliency of older adults to survive and recover, as well. In this American Heart Association scientific statement, we (1) review age-related physiological changes that predispose to acute coronary syndrome and management complexity; (2) describe the influence of commonly encountered geriatric syndromes on cardiovascular disease outcomes; and (3) recommend age-appropriate and guideline-concordant revascularization and acute coronary syndrome management strategies, including transitions of care, the use of cardiac rehabilitation, palliative care services, and holistic approaches. The primacy of individualized risk assessment and patient-centered care decision-making is highlighted throughout.

Tubular Secretion and Estimated GFR Decline in the Jackson Heart Study.

Introduction: Secretion of solutes by the proximal tubules represents an intrinsic kidney function not directly reflected by the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The early loss of secretory clearance may reflect unrecognized kidney dysfunction, portending future disease progression. Methods: We designed a nested case-control study within the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), a prospective study of African American adults in Mississippi, to associate baseline differences in proximal tubular secretion of 5 endogenously produced solutes with future estimated glomerular rate (eGFR) decline. We matched 127 pairs by creatinine-eGFR, age, diabetes, and sex among the patients who provided a 24-hour urine collection; cases had a ≥25% decline in eGFR compared to <10% in controls over 10 years of follow-up. We measured baseline plasma and urine concentrations of secretory solutes using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine the odds ratio of kidney disease progression. Results: Mean age was 60 years; 76% were women; 30% had diabetes; mean baseline eGFR was 94±20 ml/min per 1.73 m2. The eGFR decline over 10 years was 38±13% in cases and 0±10% in controls. After adjustment for the matching variables plus albuminuria, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, and smoking, each 50% lower kidney clearance of isovalerylglycine, kynurenic acid, and xanthosine were associated with 1.4 to 2.2 greater odds of eGFR decline. Kynurenic acid exhibited the strongest association; each 50% lower clearance of this secretory solute was associated with 2.20-fold higher odds of eGFR decline (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32-3.67). Conclusion: We found that in this community-based study of adults without significant kidney disease, lower proximal tubular secretory solute clearance is associated with future eGFR decline.

Rates of Cardiovascular Disease and CKD Progression in Young Adults with CKD across Racial and Ethnic Groups.

Background: Significant racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular (CV) and kidney function outcomes in older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have been reported. However, little is known about the extent to which these disparities exist in patients with CKD during the foundational period of young adulthood. The objective of this study was to determine risk factors and rates of CV disease and CKD progression in young adults with CKD across racial and ethnic groups. Methods: We studied all participants aged 21-40 years of age enrolled in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study (n=317). Baseline CV risk factors were described across racial and ethnic groups. Results: Outcomes included CV events or death (first incidence of heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke or death) and CKD progression (>50% decline in eGFR from baseline or end stage kidney disease [ESKD]). Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were compared as a secondary analysis for participants identifying as Black or Hispanic with those identifying as White or another race and ethnicity. Adjusted models included age, sex, and per APOL1 high-risk allele. CV risk factors were higher in Black and Hispanic participants, including mean SBP, BMI, median UACr, and LDL. Black and Hispanic participants had higher incidence rates of HF (17.5 versus 5.1/1000 person-years), all-cause mortality (15.2 versus 7.1/1000 person-years), and CKD progression (125 versus 59/1000 person-years). Conclusions: In conclusion, we found a higher prevalence of CV risk factors, some modifiable, in young adults with CKD who identify as Black or Hispanic. Future strategies to ameliorate the racial and ethnic inequality in health outcomes earlier in life for patients with CKD should be prioritized.

Limited Evidence for Use of a Black Race Modifier in eGFR Calculations: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Commonly used estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equations include a Black race modifier (BRM) that was incorporated during equation derivation. Race is a social construct, and a poorly characterized variable that is applied inconsistently in clinical settings. The BRM results in higher eGFR for any creatinine concentration, implying fundamental differences in creatinine production or excretion in Black individuals compared to other populations. Equations without inclusion of the BRM have the potential to detect kidney disease earlier in patients at the greatest risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), but also has the potential to over-diagnose CKD or impact downstream clinical interventions. The purpose of this study was to use an evidence-based approach to systematically evaluate the literature relevant to the performance of the eGFR equations with and without the BRM and to examine the clinical impact of the use or removal. CONTENT: PubMed and Embase databases were searched for studies comparing measured GFR to eGFR in racially diverse adult populations using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease or the 2009-Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration-creatinine equations based on standardized creatinine measurements. Additionally, we searched for studies comparing clinical use of eGFR calculated with and without the BRM. Here, 8632 unique publications were identified; an additional 3 studies were added post hoc. In total, 96 studies were subjected to further analysis and 44 studies were used to make a final assessment. SUMMARY: There is limited published evidence to support the use of a BRM in eGFR equations.

APOL1, Sickle Cell Trait, and CKD in the Jackson Heart Study.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) high-risk variants are associated with an increased risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD) among African Americans. Less is known regarding the risk for the development of CKD and kidney failure (end-stage kidney disease [ESKD]) among African Americans with only 1 APOL1 risk variant or whether the risk is modified by sickle cell trait. STUDY DESIGN: The Jackson Heart Study is a community-based longitudinal cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Self-reported African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study (n = 5,306). EXPOSURES: APOL1 G1 and G2 genotypes and sickle cell trait. OUTCOMES: Incident CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2), albuminuria (urinary albumin-creatinine ratio ≥ 30 mg/g), continuous and rapid kidney function decline (≥30% decline), and incident ESKD. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Multivariable linear and logistic regression, and Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, ancestry informative markers, and sickle cell trait. RESULTS: Of 2,300 participants, 41.3% had zero, 45.1% had 1, and 13.6% had 2 APOL1 risk variants. Sickle cell trait was present in 8.5%. Compared with participants with zero APOL1 risk variants, those with 2 alleles had an increased risk for incident albuminuria (adjusted HR [aHR], 1.88; 95% CI, 1.04 to 3.40), ESKD (aHR, 9.05; 95% CI, 1.79 to 45.85), incident CKD (aHR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.06 to 2.57), continuous decline (ß = -1.90; 95% CI, -3.35 to -0.45), and rapid kidney function decline (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.22 to 4.00) after adjustment for sickle cell trait, with similar results after adjustment for ancestry informative markers. Having 1 APOL1 risk variant was not associated with CKD outcomes and there was no interaction of APOL1 with sickle cell trait. LIMITATIONS: Single-site recruitment of African American individuals with APOL1 and sickle cell trait. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of 1 APOL1 risk allele was not associated with increased risk for CKD outcomes, whereas 2 risk alleles were associated with incident albuminuria, CKD, ESKD, and rapid and continuous kidney function decline. Additional studies are needed to determine factors that might alter the risk for adverse kidney outcomes among individuals with high-risk APOL1 genotypes.

Home Hemodialysis: Core Curriculum 2021.

In the early days of dialysis, because of a lack of existing in-center infrastructure, home hemodialysis (HHD) was frequently used to expand dialysis programs. Recently, HHD has been thrust into the spotlight of kidney care programs once again. Patients and policymakers are demanding more choices for the management of kidney failure while controlling for cost. Perhaps it is not surprising that the kidney community's interest in HHD has been revived, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. To meet this increased interest and demand, nephrologists and dialysis providers must embrace new technologies and improve their understanding of HHD systems. This installment of AJKD's Core Curriculum in Nephrology seeks to inform the reader about factors that can improve success in the training and retention of HHD patients. Benefits, pitfalls, and challenges of HHD are outlined. The features of novel and commonly used HHD equipment are also summarized. Examples of prescriptions and prescription adjustments to meet the needs of patients will also be reviewed. Finally, considerations related to medical management of HHD patients and their dialysis access at home are also included. HHD is an important tool for the management and rehabilitation of patients with kidney failure, which allows for patient-centered care and increased patient choice.

Risk factors for adverse outcomes among 35 879 veterans with and without diabetes after diagnosis with COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: Risk factors and mediators of associations of diabetes with COVID-19 outcomes are unclear. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We identified all veterans receiving Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare with ≥1 positive nasal swab for SARS-CoV-2 (28 February-31 July 2020; n=35 879). We assessed associations of diabetes (with and without insulin use) with hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, or death at 30 days, and with hazard of death until the censoring date. Among participants with diabetes (n=13 863), we examined associations of hemoglobin A1c and antihyperglycemic medication use with COVID-19 outcomes. We estimated mediation between diabetes and outcomes by comorbidities (cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease), statin or ACE inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) use, and cardiac biomarkers (brain natriuretic peptide and troponin). RESULTS: Diabetes with and without insulin use was associated with greater odds of hospitalization, ICU admission, and death at 30 days, and with greater hazard of death compared with no diabetes (OR 1.73, 1.76 and 1.63, and HR 1.61; and OR 1.39, 1.49 and 1.33, and HR 1.37, respectively, all p<0.0001). Prior sulfonylurea use was associated with greater odds of hospitalization and prior insulin use with hospitalization and death among patients with diabetes; among all participants, statin use was associated with lower mortality and ARB use with lower odds of hospitalization. Cardiovascular disease-related factors mediated <20% of associations between diabetes and outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes is independently associated with adverse outcomes from COVID-19. Associations are only partially mediated by common comorbidities.

Circulating testican-2 is a podocyte-derived marker of kidney health.

In addition to their fundamental role in clearance, the kidneys release select molecules into the circulation, but whether any of these anabolic functions provides insight on kidney health is unknown. Using aptamer-based proteomics, we characterized arterial (A)-to-renal venous (V) gradients for >1,300 proteins in 22 individuals who underwent invasive sampling. Although most of the proteins that changed significantly decreased from A to V, consistent with renal clearance, several were found to increase, the most significant of which was testican-2. To assess the clinical implications of these physiologic findings, we examined proteomic data in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), an African-American cohort (n = 1,928), with replication in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), a White cohort (n = 1,621). In both populations, testican-2 had a strong, positive correlation with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). In addition, higher baseline testican-2 levels were associated with a lower rate of eGFR decline in models adjusted for age, gender, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, body mass index, baseline eGFR, and albuminuria. Glomerular expression of testican-2 in human kidneys was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy, while single-cell RNA sequencing of human kidneys showed expression of the cognate gene, SPOCK2, exclusively in podocytes. In vitro, testican-2 increased glomerular endothelial tube formation and motility, raising the possibility that its secretion has a functional role within the glomerulus. Taken together, our findings identify testican-2 as a podocyte-derived biomarker of kidney health and prognosis.

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Phenotypes in Adults Taking Antihypertensive Medication with and without CKD.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recent guidelines recommend out-of-clinic BP measurements. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We compared the prevalence of BP phenotypes between 561 black patients, with and without CKD, taking antihypertensive medication who underwent ambulatory BP monitoring at baseline (between 2000 and 2004) in the Jackson Heart Study. CKD was defined as an albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/g or eGFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m2. Sustained controlled BP was defined by BP at goal both inside and outside of the clinic and sustained uncontrolled BP as BP above goal both inside and outside of the clinic. Masked uncontrolled hypertension was defined by controlled clinic-measured BP with uncontrolled out-of-clinic BP. RESULTS: CKD was associated with a higher multivariable-adjusted prevalence ratio for uncontrolled versus controlled clinic BP (prevalence ratio, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.02) and sustained uncontrolled BP versus sustained controlled BP (prevalence ratio, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.16 to 2.36). There were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of uncontrolled daytime or nighttime BP, nondipping BP, white-coat effect, and masked uncontrolled hypertension between participants with and without CKD after multivariable adjustment. After multivariable adjustment, reduced eGFR was associated with masked uncontrolled hypertension versus sustained controlled BP (prevalence ratio, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.00 to 2.00), whereas albuminuria was associated with uncontrolled clinic BP (prevalence ratio, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.20 to 2.60) and sustained uncontrolled BP versus sustained controlled BP (prevalence ratio, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.36 to 2.99). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of BP phenotypes defined using ambulatory BP monitoring is high among adults with CKD taking antihypertensive medication.

At the Research-Clinical Interface: Returning Individual Genetic Results to Research Participants.

Whether individual results of genetic research studies ought to be disclosed to study participants has been debated in recent decades. Previously, the prevailing expert view discouraged the return of individual research results to participants because of the potential lack of analytic validity, questionable clinical validity and medical actionability, and questions about whether it is the role of research to provide participants with their data. With additional knowledge of participant perspectives and shifting views about the benefits of research and respect for participants, current expert consensus is moving toward support of returning such results. Significant ethical controversies remain, and there are many practical questions left to address, including appropriate procedures for returning results and the potential burden to clinicians when patients seek guidance about the clinical implications of research results. In this review, we describe current views regarding the return of genetic research results, including controversies and practical challenges, and consider the application of these issues to research on apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1), a gene recently associated with health disparities in kidney disease. Although this case is unique, it illustrates the complexities involved in returning results and highlights remaining questions.

Military Service and Military Health Care Coverage are Associated with Reduced Racial Disparities in Time to Mental Health Treatment Initiation.

We aimed to evaluate whether military service and access to veteran heath care coverage attenuates racial/ethnic disparities in time to mental health treatment initiation for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder, and/or alcohol-use disorder. Results are based on 13,528 civilians and 1392 veterans from NESARC-III. Among civilians, racial/ethnic minorities reported longer time to PTSD and depression treatment initiation than non-Hispanic whites. Among veterans, racial/ethnic minorities did not differ from whites in time to PTSD and depression treatment initiation, and showed shorter time to treatment initiation for alcohol-use disorder treatment. Racial/ethnic minorities with past year veteran health care coverage showed the strongest evidence for attenuated disparities.

Genetics and ESKD Disparities in African Americans.

African Americans have a 2- to 4-fold greater incidence of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) than whites, which has long raised the possibility of a genetic cause for this disparity. Recent advances in genetic studies have shown a causal association of polymorphisms at the apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) with the markedly increased risk for the nondiabetic component of the overall disparity in ESKD in African Americans. Although APOL1-associated kidney disease is thought to account for a substantial proportion of ESKD in African Americans, not all the increased risk for ESKD is accounted for, and a complete cataloging of disparities in genetic causes of ESKD eludes our current understanding of genetic-associated kidney disease. Genetic testing aids the screening, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of diseases with a genetic basis. Widespread use of genetic testing in clinical practice is limited by the small number of actionable genetic variants, limited health literacy of providers and patients, and underlying complex ethical, legal, and social issues. This perspective reviews racial and ethnic differences associated with genetic diseases and the development of ESKD in African Americans and discusses potential uncertainties associated with our current understanding of penetrance of genetically linked kidney disease and population-attributable risk percent.