You were lucky enough to receive a kidney years ago, but now it is failing. Is it better to opt for another transplant or go on dialysis?

New research suggests a second transplant may be the better option.

Kidney transplants from deceased donors function for a median ...

Global warming may pose a threat to your kidneys, new research suggests.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from hospitals in more than 1,800 cities in Brazil between 2000 and 2015, and found that just over 7% of all admissions for kidney disease could be attributed to hotter temperatures.

That equates to more than 202,000 cases of kidney disease, according to the report publi...

People hospitalized for COVID-19, and even some with milder cases, may suffer lasting damage to their kidneys, new research finds.

The study of more than 1.7 million patients in the U.S. Veterans Affairs system adds to concerns about the lingering effects of COVID -- particularly among people sick enough to need hospitalization.

Researchers found that months after their initial infe...

Here's some hopeful news for those who have kidney transplants: Long-term survival rates have improved over the past three decades, a review shows.

"There has been a gratifying improvement in kidney transplant survival, both for patients and the kidney graft itself, from 1996 to the current era," said review author Dr. Sundaram Hariharan, a senior transplant nephrologist at the University...

Children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes face a high likelihood of developing complications before age 30, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that among 500 children and teenagers with type 2 diabetes, 60% developed at least one complication over the next 15 years -- including nerve damage, eye disease and kidney disease.

Type 2 diabetes, which is often associated with older age...

No amount of lead in drinking water is safe for people with kidney disease, a new study warns.

Low levels of lead in drinking water are widespread in the United States. These findings suggest that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules on allowable lead levels in drinking water pose a risk to the 30 million to 40 million Americans with kidney disease.

"While drinking water...

A flu shot might offer some protection against severe effects of COVID-19, a new study suggests.

If you are infected with COVID-19, having had a flu shot makes it less likely you will suffer severe body-wide infection, blood clots, have a stroke or be treated in an intensive care unit, according to the study.

"Our work is important," said study co-author Dr. Devinder Singh, noting l...

People with type 2 diabetes face heightened risks for heart attack and stroke, as well as progressive kidney disease. But a new once-a-week injected drug called efpeglenatide could greatly reduce their odds for those outcomes, new research shows.

The clinical trial was conducted in over 28 nations and involved more than 4,000 patients with type 2 diabetes.

Over two years, patients ...

In the world of chronic kidney disease, the dilemma is not uncommon: A relatively young patient with kidney trouble may need a transplant down the road, and an older family member is more than ready to step up. But the need for a kidney transplant, while predictable, is not immediate.

So the older donor doesn't act. Given that donor supply has never met demand, the loss of a golden opport...

Many Americans who stand to benefit most from a kidney transplant may be missing a key window of opportunity, a new study finds.

The study focused on kidney failure patients who would be expected to live many years after receiving a kidney transplant. That generally includes relatively younger people without other major medical conditions.

In 2014, the U.S. kidney allocation system ...

Dialysis centers hit with financial penalties for poor performance don't tend to improve afterward, calling into question a set of U.S. federal programs intended to improve health care nationwide, a new report says.

Dialysis centers face up to a 2% reduction in their annual Medicare reimbursements if they get a low score on a set of quality measures designed by the U.S. Centers for Medica...

A single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine isn't enough to develop adequate antibodies in kidney dialysis patients, Canadian researchers report.

"We advise that the second dose of the [Pfizer] vaccine be administered to patients receiving hemodialysis at the recommended 3-week time interval and that rigorous SARS-CoV-2 infection prevention and control measures be continued in hemodialysis units ...

There's more evidence that a switch away from meat in your diet could cut levels of unhealthy "biomarkers" that encourage disease, researchers say.

A new study reported Saturday at the virtual European Congress on Obesity (ECO) found that people on vegetarian diets have lower blood levels of disease-linked biomarkers, such as "bad" (LDL) cholesterol and other factors.

Biomarkers can...

Chronic kidney disease may carry an increased risk of dementia, according to a Swedish study.

In people with chronic kidney disease, the bean-shaped organs gradually lose their ability to filter waste from the blood and eliminate fluids.

"Even a mild reduction in kidney function has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and infections, and there is growing evide...

About 20% of Americans on kidney dialysis are reluctant to get a COVID-19 shot, according to a new study.

Kidney failure patients on dialysis are at increased risk for COVID-related complications that could lead to hospitalization and death, so it's important for them to be vaccinated, researchers said.

"Finding that 80% of patients on dialysis were willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine...

Energy drinks provide millions with a quick, caffeinated boost, but one young man's story could be a warning about overconsumption, experts say.

In the case of the 21-year-old, daily heavy intake of these drinks may have led to life-threatening heart and kidney failure, British doctors reported April 15 in BMJ Case Reports.

The young man reported drinking an average of four...

Kidney stones can happen to anyone, but now a new study confirms that being pregnant may increase your risk of developing them.

Previous research has suggested that a number of pregnancy-related changes in the body can contribute to kidney stone formation, but this study is the first to provide evidence of that link, according to the researchers.

For the study, the Mayo Clinic team ...

Dialysis is time-consuming, making it hard for kidney failure patients to keep fit. But cycling during treatment sessions could boost patients' heart health and cut medical costs, new research shows.

Dialysis can lead to long-term scarring of the heart, which can eventually lead to heart failure, so British researchers decided to find out if exercise could reduce these side effects.

Long-term organ damage appears to be common in hospitalized COVID-19 patients after they've recovered and been discharged, British researchers report.

One U.S. expert who read over the report said she's seen the same in her practice.

"This study proves that the damage done is not just to the lungs, but can affect the heart, the brain and the kidneys, as well," said Dr. Mangala Naras...

COVID-19 may intensify kidney damage in people with acute kidney injury (AKI), researchers report.

AKI is a sudden decline in the kidney's filtration function that happens to 15% of hospitalized patients. It increases a patient's likelihood of death 10-fold.

The reason is unknown, but AKI is more common -- and often more severe -- in COVID patients. Previous research has found that ...

Do you struggle with chronic kidney disease? Exercise may be the best prescription for your condition, new research out of Taiwan suggests.

Scientists found that highly active patients had a lower risk of kidney disease progression, heart problems and death.

The study looked at more than 4,500 people with chronic kidney disease between 2004 and 2017. None were on dialysis. The pati...

People with kidney failure related to sickle cell disease are less likely to receive a transplant than those without sickle cell disease, but it could be life-saving for them, a new study finds.

Sickle cell disease is a risk factor for kidney failure, and adults with sickle cell-related kidney failure who are on long-term dialysis have high rates of early death.

Kidney transplant is...

Despite widespread efforts to increase access and awareness, new research shows there's been virtually no change in the number of people on waiting lists for potentially lifesaving kidneys over the past two decades.

For their study, scientists analyzed information on more than 1.3 million adults with kidney failure listed in the United States Renal Data System from 1997 to 2016, and found...

Electronic 'early warning systems' for kidney damage in hospital patients don't improve outcomes, researchers say.

These systems are meant to alert for acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI, a sudden decrease in the kidney's filtration function, occurs in 15% of hospital patients and increases the risk of death 10-fold.

The systems give an automated alert in the patient's electronic health...

Patients with chronic kidney disease who stop using a class of common blood pressure medications may lower their risk for dialysis, but they also raise their odds of cardiovascular disease, a new study finds.

The blood pressure medicines in question are called renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RAS inhibitors), which include both ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs...

Adults living with kidney failure are receptive to using mobile devices to help with their care, according to a new study.

Mobile health can provide many benefits for patients, especially for those whose care is complicated and who have dietary restrictions, researchers said. Whether people on dialysis are ready to incorporate mobile technology in their care would be a limiting factor.

Tiny particles of air pollution were already known to raise people's risk of developing heart and lung disease, but a new study suggests they might also raise the risk of developing chronic kidney disease.

Researchers from Peking University in Beijing, China, found that the risks from this fine particulate matter was significantly stronger in urban areas, and among males, younger adults a...

Election Day 2020 saw marijuana legalization continue its march across the United States, but a pair of new studies warn that smoking pot could increase risk for heart patients.

Marijuana smokers are more likely to suffer complications like excess bleeding or stroke if they undergo angioplasty to reopen clogged arteries, a University of Michigan-led study found.

Pot smokers who've h...

COVID-19 patients who have kidney disease or whose kidneys are damaged by the virus have a much higher risk of dying from the illness, a new study suggests.

Researchers who studied 372 patients admitted to four intensive care units (ICUs) in the United Kingdom found that even those who had less severe kidney disease to start, as well as patients whose kidney disease was caused by the...

If you're pregnant and you think popping nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for your aches and pains is safe, think again.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned on Thursday that taking these widely used painkillers -- which include Advil, Motrin, Aleve and Celebrex -- at 20 weeks or later in a pregnancy could raise the risk of complications.

Specifically, t...

Adding a newer drug to standard therapy might help control kidney complications caused by the autoimmune disease lupus, a new clinical trial suggests.

The researchers found that adding the drug, called belimumab, improved patients' likelihood of responding to treatment. That meant a reduction in protein in the urine -- a tell-tale sign of kidney inflammation -- and no significant loss...

COVID-19 can damage the kidneys and increase patients' risk of needing kidney dialysis, researchers report.

The study authors also warned that doctors should prepare for a significant rise in chronic kidney disease cases due to the pandemic.

For the study, the investigators analyzed data from nearly 4,000 COVID-19 patients, aged 18 and older, hospitalized at the Mount Sinai ...

New hepatitis C medications are allowing people to receive a kidney transplant from a deceased donor who had the liver disease -- a strategy aimed at getting more lifesaving organs to patients languishing on waitlists.

Two new studies are highlighting the promise of the approach, showing that if patients are given the drug Mavyret, they can safely receive the kidneys and the organs fu...