HEALTHStudies to test best ways to check PKDPolycystic kidney disease, though a common condition, is often not diagnosed and treated until much damage has been done.By Susan J. Landers, amednews staff. March 6, 2006. Washington -- Two large treatment trials have been launched for polycystic kidney disease, a common inherited disorder that often leads to kidney failure. About half of the 500,000 Americans with the disease eventually will undergo dialysis or a kidney transplant. Over the next two years, 1,000 patients with the most common form of the disease, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, will be enrolled in the trials and treated for up to four years at centers in Atlanta; Boston; Cleveland; Denver; Kansas City, Kan.; and Rochester, Minn. The disease affects not only the kidneys, in which numerous cysts can slowly replace much of the mass of the kidneys, but also the liver, brain and heart, increasing the risk of early death. Earlier diagnosis and treatment are thought to be key to avoiding the most serious outcomes. "We have good reason to believe that if you find the disease early enough in life and treat it early enough, you can shut the door before the horse even gets out of the barn," said Daniel Larson, the CEO of the PKD Foundation, which is sponsoring the trials with the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. But identifying the disease early can be problematic. "We find that a lot of physicians in general aren't familiar with the disorder," said Ronald Perrone, MD, vice chair of the PKD Foundation's Scientific Advisory Committee and associate chief at Tufts-New England Medical Center's Division of Nephrology. [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
|
The doctors are in the house
The AMA's House of Delegates is holding its Interim Meeting Nov. 7-10 in Houston, addressing issues such as health system reform and physician payment. Meeting coverage - Slideshow Feature articlesHealth reform review The Massachusetts experience Litigation stress Being sued is personal as well as professional Comprehensive coverage
Most-viewed
Nov. 9 issueHouse option for public plan wouldn't limit physician pay to Medicare rates New database for out-of-network pay set to replace disputed Ingenix system Columns and series
From the vault: 5 years agoGenetic testing issues land in primary care practices Nov. 8, 2004 
|
SHARE
