Paola Romagnani, Giuseppe Remuzzi, Richard Glassock, Adeera Levin, Kitty J Jager, Marcello Tonelli, Ziad Massy, Christoph Wanner, Hans-Joachim Anders
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is defined by persistent urine abnormalities, structural abnormalities or impaired excretory renal function suggestive of a loss of functional nephrons. The majority of patients with CKD are at risk of accelerated cardiovascular disease and death. For those who progress to end-stage renal disease, the limited accessibility to renal replacement therapy is a problem in many parts of the world. Risk factors for the development and progression of CKD include low nephron number at birth, nephron loss due to increasing age and acute or chronic kidney injuries caused by toxic exposures or diseases (for example, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus)...
November 23, 2017: Nature Reviews. Disease Primers