According to a study scheduled to be published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN), black patients face a higher risk of dying in the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) than whites. The study’s results indicate that racial differences in the death rates of chronic kidney disease patients depend more on sociological factors than on biological ones. Poverty and lack of education and medical insurance, in particular, may contribute to the high death rates among black individuals. However, among patients with late-stage chronic kidney disease, the trend is reversed and black individuals have a survival advantage over whites.

A research led by a Johns Hopkins has indicated that African-American people suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) continue to lose their kidney function over time even when their blood pressure is kept strictly under control. The study involving 1,094 African American patients reflected that the kidney functions of these patients continued to deteriorate even through their blood pressure remained below the recommended range, often leading to dialysis, kidney transplantation and even death. The findings suggested that treating CKD in this population may be vastly more complex than thought previously.

According to Abbott UK, the company is launching Zemplar’s (paricalcitol) oral formulation for patients of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). It is a prevalent complication of chronic kidney disease, which involves a decrease in vitamin D activation. The Zemplar oral formulation now offers patients the convenience of a capsule, as compared to the earlier option of paricalcitol injections.