Decline is not inevitable.
A daily, evidence-graded view of everything moving in kidney research : the drugs that slow decline, the science of regeneration, and the mind-body work.
New guidelines offer clearer steps for managing anemia in stage 3 kidney disease
Today’s updates focus on practical clinical guidance for anemia management in chronic kidney disease, with strong evidence supporting careful use of iron and blood-boosting drugs. Research on preventing kidney injury after heart surgery emphasizes combining strategies rather than relying on one fix. Several smaller studies hint at possible kidney recovery or protective mechanisms, but all need much more testing before changing routine care.
Update on Perioperative Prevention of Cardiac Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury.
Experts reviewed 14 ways to prevent kidney injury after heart surgery and graded them by study quality; no single method works for everyone because the problem has many causes, including low blood flow, inflammation, and toxic drugs.
Evaluation and Management of Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease: Synopsis of the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes 2026 Clinical Practice Guideline
Kidney disease experts updated their 2026 guidelines on treating anemia in chronic kidney disease, based on the best available evidence from large studies and trials.
Prevalence and associated factors of chronic kidney disease–associated pruritus in maintenance hemodialysis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis
This study pooled earlier studies to estimate how common itchy skin from kidney disease (CKD-associated pruritus) is among people on long-term hemodialysis, and what goes along with it. It measures how often the itch happens and what it is linked to. It does not test a treatment, and links found this way do not prove cause. The abstract was not available, so we could not check the numbers.
Effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitors in slowing chronic kidney disease progression and reducing mortality: a meta-analysis.
This meta-analysis pooled results from earlier studies to ask whether SGLT2 inhibitors slow kidney disease and help people live longer. SGLT2 inhibitors are a class of drugs first made for diabetes, such as empagliflozin and dapagliflozin. A meta-analysis is the strongest kind of evidence. The number of studies, the number of people, and the size of the benefit were not in the text we had, so check the full paper for those figures.
Effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitors in slowing chronic kidney disease progression and reducing mortality: a meta-analysis
This meta-analysis of 12 large trials with over 40,000 people showed SGLT2 inhibitors reduced the risk of kidney failure, major heart problems, or death by about 25%. This strong evidence supports using these drugs to slow kidney decline in people with type 2 diabetes.
Beyond Weight Loss: Thromboinflammation as a Candidate Mechanism for the Cardiovascular Benefit of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists.
The SELECT trial with 17,604 people who had heart disease but no diabetes found that semaglutide cut serious heart problems like heart attack or stroke by 20% over a few years. Because it was a large, randomized trial with hard outcomes, the result is strong evidence this drug protects both heart and kidneys.
Renal Outcomes Following Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Dialysis-Dependent Patients With Multiple Myeloma: A Single-Center Study From a Low- and Middle-Income Country.
Five dialysis-dependent patients with blood cancer received stem cell therapy; four recovered some kidney function and stopped dialysis, while one died. The study was small — just five people — and not randomized, so it shows a possible link but not proof that the treatment caused recovery.
Effects of intradialytic nutrition on dialysis adequacy and fatigue in hemodialysis patients: a randomized crossover study.
This small trial tested whether eating a standard meal during dialysis changes how tired people feel and how well dialysis cleans the blood. It took place at 2 dialysis centers in Türkiye. 36 people were randomly assigned and 32 finished. Each person had one period with food during dialysis and one period without, so each person was compared with themselves. The part of the abstract we have does not say how long each period lasted or what the trial found.
A randomized cross-over trial of pre-and post-filter hemodiafiltration modalities in children on maintenance dialysis -- effects on solute removal and blood pressure
Children on long-term dialysis tried two versions of hemodiafiltration, a dialysis method that pulls extra fluid through the filter to clear more waste. Each child had both versions in turn, at several hospitals. The trial compared waste removal, inflammation, nutrition and blood pressure. The summary we have does not say how many children took part, how long the trial lasted, or which method did better, so it is small, early evidence at most.
Everolimus-Involving Immunosuppression Attenuates Renal Interstitial Fibrosis Through Modulation of Mammalian Target of Rapamycin-Related Signal Transduction.
Among 104 kidney transplant patients, those who took everolimus (a drug that blocks a specific immune signal) had less kidney scarring over time than those on older drugs. The study was small and not randomized, so it shows a possible benefit but needs confirmation in larger trials.
Spatially Distinct TREM2+ Macrophages Are Associated with Compartment-Specific Protection in Diabetic Kidney Disease
In diabetic kidney disease, researchers mapped where a type of immune cell sits inside the kidney. These cells are called TREM2+ macrophages. When they were found in certain parts of the kidney, those parts showed less damage. This shows a link, not proof that the cells cause the protection. It is a clue for future treatments, not a treatment itself.
Ibrutinib-Associated Kaposi Sarcoma and Reversible Renal Manifestation in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
This case report describes one person with a blood cancer called chronic lymphocytic leukemia. While taking the cancer drug ibrutinib, they got Kaposi sarcoma, a skin and tissue cancer, along with a kidney problem. The kidney problem got better afterward. This is one patient's story. It shows a possible link to the drug, not proof that the drug caused it.
Association of the inflammation indicators with multiple system involved of immunoglobulin A vasculitis in children
This study looked at children with IgA vasculitis, an immune condition that inflames small blood vessels and can damage the kidneys. It checked whether blood tests for inflammation matched with the disease hitting several body systems, such as the kidneys, gut or joints. This shows a link, not proof of cause. Such blood tests might help doctors spot children at higher risk earlier.
Hypokalemia leading to the diagnosis of primary Sjögren’s syndrome: the role of early renal biopsy
This case report describes one patient with low blood potassium (hypokalemia). A kidney biopsy, where a small piece of kidney is taken for testing, led to a diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome. Sjögren's is an immune disease that can harm the kidneys. The authors argue for doing a biopsy early in cases like this. It is one patient's story, which shows a possible link, not proof.
Opisthorchis viverrini infection is associated with kidney injury involving excretory–secretory product-mediated inflammation, oxidative stress, and hypoxia
A study in people found that a parasite infection linked to liver disease also raises the risk of kidney injury, but because it only observed people over time, it cannot prove the infection causes the damage.
: Increasing awareness of nonuremic calciphylaxis: clinical manifestations, comorbidities and treatment outcomes in a retrospective single-center cohort
A回顾性研究 looked at 108 people with a rare complication after kidney disease, finding links to calcium problems and high death rates, but because it only looked back at past records, it cannot prove what caused the problem.
Predictors of survival and renal replacement therapy in anca-associated vasculitis with renal involvement: An 11-year real-world cohort from North Macedonia.
This study looked back at 11 years of records from North Macedonia's national kidney center. It covered adults with ANCA vasculitis that had reached the kidneys. This is a rare disease where the immune system inflames small blood vessels. The study looked for signs that predicted survival and the need for dialysis or a transplant, and it can show links but not proof of cause. The part of the abstract we have does not give the number of patients or the findings.
Timing and trajectory of acute kidney injury predict mortality in alcohol-associated hepatitis: A multinational cohort study.
This study followed hospital patients in several countries who had liver inflammation caused by alcohol (alcohol-associated hepatitis). It checked whether sudden kidney injury, and when it started, predicted death within 90 days. The researchers only watched what happened, so the study can show a link but not proof of cause. The part of the abstract we have does not give the number of patients or the results.
Hemodialysis professionals' knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward venous thrombosis prevention: a multicenter survey.
This survey asked dialysis staff at several centers what they know, believe, and do about preventing blood clots in the veins. These clots are a serious risk for people on dialysis. The staff were not chosen at random, and a survey like this can show links but not proof of cause. The part of the abstract we have does not say how many staff took part or what the survey found.
Risk prediction of PLA2R-Ab-negative membranous nephropathy: an interpretable multicenter machine learning model
Researchers at several hospitals built a computer model to predict how a kidney disease called membranous nephropathy will go. The model is for people whose blood tests negative for PLA2R, the antibody behind most cases. Membranous nephropathy is when the immune system attacks the kidney's filters. This is a prediction tool built from patient records, so it shows links, not proof of cause. No abstract was available, so we cannot report how accurate it was.