The relation between body mass index and end organ damage in white coat hypertension

Objective: White coat hypertension (WCH) is characterized by blood pressure, which is high in the outpatient clinic and normal either on ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring or home BP monitoring. In this study, our objective was to investigate the effects of obesity on end organ damage and the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and end organ damage caused by WCH

The relation between body mass index and end organ damage in white coat hypertension

Objective: White coat hypertension (WCH) is characterized by blood pressure, which is high in the outpatient clinic and normal either on ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring or home BP monitoring. In this study, our objective was to investigate the effects of obesity on end organ damage and the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and end organ damage caused by WCH

Blood Pressure Variability in Fabry Disease Patients

Introduction: Fabry disease is a rare metabolic, multisystemic, and X-linked lysosomal storage disorder. The involvement of the autonomic nervous system is well defined; however, data on the variability of the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate in Fabry disease are largely missing. In this study, we aimed to examine the circadian variations of BP and heart rate variability in Fabry disease patients. Methods: We recruited 31 consecutive adult (age >18 years) Fabry disease patients (16 males and 15 females) who were regularly followed up in our outpatient clinic between July 2019 and March 2020. We performed ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and echocardiography in all patients. We used standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), and average real variability as the measures of variability. We constructed 2 control groups for propensity score matching using age, sex, and eGFR parameters in the first group and adding antihypertensive drug use to the above parameters in the second group. Results: All BP measurements were significantly lower in the FD group compared to that of the control groups, except the nighttime systolic BP. Regarding nondipping and reverse dipping statuses, FD patients and controls were similar. We found that none of the BP variability measures were higher in FD patients. Regarding heart rate variability data, both the nighttime SD and CV were significantly lower in FD patients compared to those of the controls. Conclusion: A decrease in heart rate variability, rather than an increase in BP variability, might be an early marker of autonomic involvement in FD

Evaluation of the reasons for the microvascular changes in patients with Fabry disease using optic coherence tomography angiography

Purpose: To investigate the blood flow changes in the choriocapillaris and the superficial and deep capillary plexus of the retina using optic coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in patients with Fabry disease (FD) and reveal any possible association of these changes with the systemic findings. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 38 patients with FD and age- and gender-matched 40 healthy controls. OCTA images were obtained from all patients. Superficial (sCVD) and deep capillary vascular density (dCVD) in the foveal, parafoveal, and perifoveal zones and the whole image were recorded for each patient. Flow area in the choriocapillaris and central macular thickness (CMT) were also recorded. Results: Patients with FD showed a lower whole image (54.45 +/- 5.99% vs 57.32 +/- 6.71%, p = 0.004), foveal (34.94 +/- 7.60% vs 39.65 +/- 7.03%, p = 0.003), parafoveal (57.41 +/- 4.85% vs 59.19 +/- 4.67%, p = 0.043), and perifoveal (55.87 +/- 6.43% vs 58.87 +/- 7.02%, p = 0.003) dCVD compared to the healthy controls without a significant difference in the sCVD and choriocapillaris blood flow (p > 0.05). A significantly lower whole image and foveal dCVD in the FD patients with renal involvement was observed compared to the healthy controls (p = 0.027 and p = 0.024, respectively) without any significant difference between the FD patients without renal involvement and healthy controls (p = 0.17 and p = 0.13, respectively). CMT was significantly higher in FD patients with renal involvement compared to the ones without renal involvement (252.1 +/- 18.5 mu m vs 235.5 +/- 17.6 mu m, p = 0.016). Conclusion: Patients with FD showed a lower dCVD without any change in sCVD and choriocapillaris compared to the healthy controls. This decrease was associated mostly with the renal involvement and duration of treatment

Medium Cut-Off Dialysis Membranes: Can They Have Impact on Outcome of COVID-19 Hemodialysis Patients?

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 may lead to high levels of expression of inflammatory cytokines. Medium cut-off (MCO) membranes may make greater clearances for large-middle molecules (including cytokines) than low-flux (LF) membranes. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of MCO membranes on outcome of COVID-19 patients on hemodialysis (HD). Methods: Sixty COVID-19 HD patients were included in this study. The patients were categorized into 2 groups regarding type of HD membranes. Clinical data were taken from medical records. Results: Initial crp and ferritin levels, which are surragates of cytokine storm and severity of disease in COVID-19, were significantly higher in MCO membrane group compared to LF group (p = 0.037 and 0.000, respectively). Although there were more patients with severe disease in MCO group, there were no significant differences regarding need for intensive care unit and death. Conclusion: It may be an option to use MCO membranes in HD patients with COVID-19 in order to reduce cytokine levels and prevent cytokine storm

Effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on patients with diabetic kidney disease: A preliminary study on the basis of podocyturia

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) on the glomerulus through the evaluation of podocyturia in patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Methods The study population was composed of 40 male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus; 22 of them received SGLT2i (SGLT2i group), and the others who did not were the control. The DKD-related parameters of patients were monitored before SGLT2i initiation, and then in the third and sixth month of the follow-up period. Patients' demographic, clinical, laboratory, and follow-up data were obtained from medical charts. Microalbuminuria was measured in 24-h urine. The number of podocytes in the urine was determined by immunocytochemical staining of two different markers, namely podocalyxin (podx) and synaptopodin (synpo). Concentrations of urine stromal cell-derived factor 1a and vascular endothelial growth factor cytokines were quantified with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Results At the end of the follow-up period, decreases in glycosylated hemoglobin, glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, uric acid level, and microalbuminuria, and improvement in body mass index level and weight loss were significant for the SGLT2i group. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in terms of these parameters in the control group. The excretion of synaptopodin-positive (synpo(+)) and podocalyxin-positive (podx(+)) cells was significantly reduced at the end of the follow-up period for the SGLT2i group, while there was no significant change for the control. Conclusions At the end of the follow-up period, male patients receiving SGLT2i had better DKD-related parameters and podocyturia levels compared to baseline and the control group. Our data support the notion that SGLT2i might have structural benefits for glomerular health

Kidney function on admission predicts in-hospital mortality in COVID-19.

BackgroundRecent data have suggested the presence of a reciprocal relationship between COVID-19 and kidney function. To date, most studies have focused on the effect of COVID-19 on kidney function, whereas data regarding kidney function on the COVID-19 prognosis is scarce. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the association between eGFR on admission and the mortality rate of COVID-19.MethodsWe recruited 336 adult consecutive patients (male: 57.1%, mean age: 55.0±16.0 years) that were hospitalized with the diagnosis of COVID-19 in a tertiary care university hospital. Data were collected from the electronic health records of the hospital. On admission, eGFR was calculated using the CKD-EPI formula. Acute kidney injury was defined according to the KDIGO criteria. Binary logistic regression and Cox regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between eGFR on admission and in-hospital mortality of COVID-19.ResultsBaseline eGFR was under 60 mL/min/1.73m2 in 61 patients (18.2%). Acute kidney injury occurred in 29.2% of the patients. In-hospital mortality rate was calculated as 12.8%. Age-adjusted and multivariate logistic regression analysis (p: 0.005, odds ratio: 0.974, CI: 0.956-0.992) showed that baseline eGFR was independently associated with mortality. Additionally, age-adjusted Cox regression analysis revealed a higher mortality rate in patients with an eGFR under 60 mL/min/1.73m2.ConclusionsOn admission eGFR seems to be a prognostic marker for mortality in patients with COVID-19. We recommend that eGFR be measured in all patients on admission and used as an additional tool for risk stratification. Close follow-up should be warranted in patients with a reduced eGFR

Clinical and histopathological characteristics of primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in Turkish adults

The data regarding primary FSGS (pFSGS) from different parts of the world differ. While the prevalence of pFSGS has been increasing in Western countries like the USA, it follows an inconsistent trend in Europe and Asia and a decreasing trend in Far Eastern countries such as China in the last two decades. There are undetermined factors to explain those national and geographic discrepancies. Herein, we aimed to reveal the current prevalence with clinical and histopathological characteristics of pFSGS in Turkish adults. This study includes the biopsy-proven pFSGS patients data recorded between 2009 and 2019, obtained from the national multicenter primary glomerulonephritis registry system of the Turkish Society of Nephrology Glomerular Diseases (TSN-GOLD) database. 850 of the 3875 primer glomerulonephritis patients(21.9%) have pFSGS. The mean age is 40.5 ± 14.2 and 435 (51.2%) of patients are male. Nephrotic syndrome is the most common biopsy indication (59.2%). 32.6% of patients have hematuria, 15.2% have leukocyturia and 7.8% have both. Serum creatinine, albumin, and proteinuria are 1.0 mg/dL (IQR = 0.7–1.4) mg/dl, 3.4 ± 0.9 g/dl, 3400 mg/day(IQR, 1774–5740), respectively. Females have lower mean arterial pressure (− 2.2 mmHg), higher eGFR (+ 10.0 mL/min/1.73 m2), and BMI (+ 1.6 kg/m2) than males. Thickened basal membrane(76.6%) and mesangial proliferation (53.5%) on light microscopy are the major findings after segmental sclerosis. IgM (32.7%) and C3 (32.9%) depositions are the most common findings on immunofluorescence microscopy. IgM positivity is related to lower eGFR, serum albumin, and higher proteinuria. The prevalence of pFSGS is stable although slightly increasing in Turkish adults. The characteristics of the patients are similar to those seen in Western countries. © The Author(s) 2024

Clinical and histopathological characteristics of primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in Turkish adults

Abstract The data regarding primary FSGS (pFSGS) from different parts of the world differ. While the prevalence of pFSGS has been increasing in Western countries like the USA, it follows an inconsistent trend in Europe and Asia and a decreasing trend in Far Eastern countries such as China in the last two decades. There are undetermined factors to explain those national and geographic discrepancies. Herein, we aimed to reveal the current prevalence with clinical and histopathological characteristics of pFSGS in Turkish adults. This study includes the biopsy-proven pFSGS patients data recorded between 2009 and 2019, obtained from the national multicenter primary glomerulonephritis registry system of the Turkish Society of Nephrology Glomerular Diseases (TSN-GOLD) database. 850 of the 3875 primer glomerulonephritis patients(21.9%) have pFSGS. The mean age is 40.5 ± 14.2 and 435 (51.2%) of patients are male. Nephrotic syndrome is the most common biopsy indication (59.2%). 32.6% of patients have hematuria, 15.2% have leukocyturia and 7.8% have both. Serum creatinine, albumin, and proteinuria are 1.0 mg/dL (IQR = 0.7–1.4) mg/dl, 3.4 ± 0.9 g/dl, 3400 mg/day(IQR, 1774–5740), respectively. Females have lower mean arterial pressure (− 2.2 mmHg), higher eGFR (+ 10.0 mL/min/1.73 m2), and BMI (+ 1.6 kg/m2) than males. Thickened basal membrane(76.6%) and mesangial proliferation (53.5%) on light microscopy are the major findings after segmental sclerosis. IgM (32.7%) and C3 (32.9%) depositions are the most common findings on immunofluorescence microscopy. IgM positivity is related to lower eGFR, serum albumin, and higher proteinuria. The prevalence of pFSGS is stable although slightly increasing in Turkish adults. The characteristics of the patients are similar to those seen in Western countries

Characteristics of primary glomerular diseases patients with hematuria in Turkey: the data from TSN-GOLD Working Group

Purpose Hematuria is one of the most common laboratory findings in nephrology practice. To date, there is no enough data regarding the clinical and histopathologic characteristics of primary glomerular disease (PGD) patients with hematuria in our country. Methods Data were obtained from national multicenter (47 centers) data entered into the Turkish Society of Nephrology Glomerular Diseases (TSN-GOLD) database between May 2009 and June 2019. The data of all PGD patients over the age of 16 years who were diagnosed with renal biopsy and had hematuria data were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, laboratory and biopsy findings were also recorded. Results Data of 3394 PGD patients were included in the study. While 1699 (50.1%) patients had hematuria, 1695 (49.9%) patients did not have hematuria. Patients with hematuria had statistically higher systolic blood pressure, serum blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, albumin, levels and urine pyuria. However, these patients had statistically lower age, body mass index, presence of hypertension and diabetes, eGFR, 24-h proteinuria, serum total, HDL and LDL cholesterol, and C3 levels when compared with patients without hematuria. Hematuria was present 609 of 1733 patients (35.8%) among the patients presenting with nephrotic syndrome, while it was presented in 1090 of 1661 (64.2%) patients in non-nephrotics (p < 0.001). Conclusion This is the first multicenter national report regarding the demographic and histopathologic data of PGD patients with or without hematuria. Hematuria, a feature of nephritic syndrome, was found at a higher than expected in the PGDs presenting with nephrotic syndrome in our national database