BCNephro Logo

Kidney Disease

Home|Kidney Disease

Approach to Evaluation of Renal Cysts

Kidney cysts are commonly found on imaging and are a common cause of anxiety for patients. This overview will provide context with the aim of being able to minimize patient anxiety, avoid unnecessary referrals and triage patients for appropriate referral to nephrology or urology. The main question to ask yourself when a kidney

By |2023-12-08T14:00:22+00:00October 18th, 2023|Kidney Disease|0 Comments

Dermatologic Conditions in ESRD

There are certain dermatologic conditions unique to ESRD that the nephrology practitioner should be aware of.  These include: Uremic pruritus Calciphylaxis - calcific uremic arteriolopathy Perforating Dermatosis - Kyrle Disease Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis Uremic Pruritus Pruritus is a common complaint in ESRD.  It may be localized or generalized. Pathogenesis.  It is often attributed

By |2023-12-08T14:00:43+00:00October 11th, 2023|Kidney Disease|0 Comments

Immunosuppression in Kidney Diseases and the 80-20 rule

When writing this article I felt a need to add more and more information, to be comprehensive.  I had a fear of leaving something out. I need to stop.  The intention of BCNephro is not to be an encyclopedic nephrology resource. The intention is to share my experiences in a way that makes

By |2023-12-08T14:00:37+00:00October 4th, 2023|Kidney Disease|0 Comments

Glomerulonephritis: Hematuria and the Nephritic Syndrome

What is glomerulonephritis? Glomerulonephritis is inflammation of the glomerulus.  This is may be manifest by: Clinical Findings: Glomerular hematuria Variable proteinuria (typically sub nephrotic may be nephrotic) Leukocyturia (variable) Impaired kidney function (variable) Hypertension (variable) May be renal limited or associated with systemic inflammation (vasculitis) Pathologic Findings: Glomerular hypercellularity Crescents (indicate more severe

By |2024-03-13T13:16:19+00:00September 27th, 2023|Kidney Disease|2 Comments

Amyloidosis

Amyloidosis is another relatively common systemic condition that causes nephrotic syndrome with unique kidney pathology.  Approximately 2% of native kidney biopsies will show amyloidosis. What is amyloidosis? Amyloidosis is a syndrome where proteins deposit in tissues in a specific misfolded pattern forming what is called beta pleated sheets.  These protein deposits result in

By |2023-12-10T20:09:54+00:00August 30th, 2023|Kidney Disease|0 Comments

3 Things I Learned About Intermittent Fasting

See my story about how I went from thinking intermittent fasting was impossible to making it a routine habit. What I learned Intermittent Fasting is Not Hard The Body Adapts It Gave Me Confidence The health benefits of intermittent fasting are outlined in this article from the New England Journal of Medicine. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1905136

By |2023-12-17T00:23:51+00:00July 26th, 2023|Kidney Disease|0 Comments

Metabolic Alkalosis

This article will address: Diagnosis of metabolic alkalosis and assessment of compensation. Approach to differential diagnosis/ underlying cause of metabolic alkalosis. Metabolic Alkalosis Diagnosis Elevated pH (>7.42) Elevated serum HCO3- (>26) Elevated pCO2 (compensation) What you will initially see (either in the hospital or outpatient setting) is an elevated serum HCO3.  This can

By |2023-12-17T00:28:43+00:00July 19th, 2023|Kidney Disease|0 Comments

MPGN Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis

MPGN is not a specific disease, it is a pattern of injury seen on light microscopy of kidney biopsy. Membrano - Diffuse thickening of glomerular capillary walls Proliferative - Increased number of cells in the glomeruli Therefore MPGN is when glomeruli have both thickened capillary walls and an increased number of cells. This

By |2023-12-17T00:36:36+00:00July 5th, 2023|Kidney Disease|0 Comments
Go to Top