Scientists find new way to prevent kidney failure

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Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered a new treatment pathway that could help prevent some kidney patients from developing renal failure.

They have identified a factor that causes the progression toward kidney failure in patients with non-genetic nephrotic syndrome (INS) and has found a way to prevent its activation.

Nephrotic syndrome is a kidney condition that causes the organs to leak protein into the urine.

It affects around 10,000 people every year in the UK and can cause the patient to develop kidney failure.

While it is a rare disease, it can have a devastating impact on patients, particularly children.

The scientists from Bristol Renal wanted to find out if there were any factors in the blood that caused the kidneys in INS patients to fail.

They identified a receptor called PAR-1 that works with an unknown factor that causes the progression toward kidney failure.

They then found that medications to block the receptor could prevent kidneys from failing.

Steroids are currently the most effective treatment for INS, but they can have unpleasant side effects and do not work equally well in all patients.

Additionally, with the unknown factor circulating in the patient’s blood, a transplant may offer some respite, but the disease often reoccurs and damages the new kidney, sometimes almost instantly.

The new treatment pathway could revolutionize the treatment options for patients with INS and offer the potential to eradicate steroid use and make transplantation a more viable option.

Dr. David Hughes, Kidney Research UK trustee and former president of the British Association for Pediatric Nephrology, commented that the Bristol team’s discovery was a really interesting approach to tackling the issues around INS.

Understanding how the factor reacts to anti-PAR-1 treatments opens up new avenues for these treatments to be trialed for patients with INS.

If successfully developed, they could drastically improve the lives of these kidney patients and prevent them from having to suffer the consequences of kidney failure.

How to prevent kidney failure

Kidney failure can be prevented by following a healthy lifestyle and taking certain precautions. Here are some tips:

Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water and other fluids can help prevent kidney damage by flushing out toxins from the body.

Eat a healthy diet: A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low in salt, sugar, and saturated fat can help protect the kidneys.

Exercise regularly: Regular physical activity can help maintain a healthy weight, control blood pressure, and improve blood sugar levels, all of which can help prevent kidney damage.

Manage health conditions: If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or other health conditions, it’s important to manage them properly to prevent kidney damage.

Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption: Smoking and drinking alcohol excessively can damage the kidneys and increase the risk of kidney disease.

Take medications as prescribed: If you have a medical condition that requires medication, it’s important to take it as prescribed and to speak with your doctor if you have any concerns.

Get regular check-ups: Regular check-ups with your doctor can help detect kidney problems early when they are more easily treatable.

By following these tips, you can help protect your kidneys and reduce your risk of developing kidney failure.

If you care about kidney health, please read studies that Mediterranean diet could help protect kidney health, and DASH diet for high blood pressure can protect kidney health.

For more information about kidney health, please see recent studies about drug that prevents kidney failure in diabetes, and results showing cruciferous vegetables may reduce kidney damage in diabetes.

The study was conducted by Carl May et al and published in Kidney International.

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