Nephrology
Clinical discussions on kidney disease management, dialysis, transplantation, and electrolyte disorders.
Recent Discussions
How often do you monitor urine protein levels for patients with membranous nephropathy for whom you initiate obinutuzumab?
Most studies of obinutuzumab in membranous nephropathy are retrospective, with remission rates of up to 83%. Would monitor UPCR every 1-3 months and check PLA2R every 3 months. Immunological remission (negative PLA2R) precedes clinical remission (one study with 76% at 3 mo and 80% at 6 mo), and clin...
Do you think the benefits of performing a repeat kidney biopsy to assess histologic evidence of disease activity or chronic damage outweigh the risks in a patient with recently treated lupus nephritis and improving creatinine levels?
In patients with lupus nephritis who have recently undergone treatment and are demonstrating improved creatinine levels, performing a repeat kidney biopsy is generally unnecessary. The risks associated with the procedure do not justify its benefits unless there is persistent or worsening proteinuria...
How do you decide when to stop immunosuppression in a patient with granulomatosis with polyangiitis who is on dialysis, has not yet recovered renal function, but has shown improvement in ANCA levels?
In a patient with pauci-immune necrotizing GN from GPA on HD, I usually wait for 3 months and up to 6 months if the biopsy is fresh with minimal chronicity before declaring ESRD and stopping IS. If they have extrarenal disease (ENT, lungs), they would need IS for extrarenal disease.
What is your recommended sequence of therapies for achieving optimal proteinuria reduction in IgA nephropathy, especially in light of the recent approvals of sparsentan, delayed-release budesonide, and iptacopan?
I am actually quite persistent with conservative therapies first - I push an ARB or ACE inhibitor in an effort to get the proteinuria under 1 gram per day, or ideally 0.75 gram per day. I favor stronger ARBs such as olmesartan or azilsartan over weaker ones such as losartan or valsartan, and really ...
How has propensity-matched data showing lower mortality and fewer cardiovascular events with parathyroidectomy versus cinacalcet affected your PTH threshold for surgical referral in a patient with CKD-related secondary hyperparathyroidism?
I have always been a fan of parathyroidectomy for patients who often have uncontrolled serum phosphorus and PTH despite medical therapy for a number of months or years. If parathyroidectomy is done right, then serum phosphorus will drop significantly for at least a few months, and serum PTH will be ...
Would you start potassium citrate for a patient with recurrent calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis who has normal urinary citrate levels but persistent acidic urine?
An excellent, fundamental question!Before starting medical treatment, I want to know if the patient’s stone burden is increasing in volume. That requires, in my opinion, serial CT scans, typically annually.If the stone burden is increasing in volume, it’s time for metabolic (non-surgical) treatment....
Has the MAJESTY trial changed your approach to the rituximab versus obinutuzumab choice in a patient with newly diagnosed primary membranous nephropathy and nephrotic syndrome?
The Bottom Line: Recent landmark trials—MENTOR and MAJESTY—confirm that anti-CD20 therapies are superior to calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) for the treatment of MN.Key Trial DataMENTOR: Demonstrated that RTX was noninferior to cyclosporine at 12 months, and decisively superior by 24 months (60% vs. 20...
Are recurrent UTIs a contraindication to SGLT2i use?
I don't view UTIs as a contraindication to SGLT2i use, but I make a risk and benefit analysis with each patient. Bacterial UTI as well as mycotic vaginal infections may be a sign that the patient has excessive glycosuria from hyperglycemia. In general, treating hyperglycemia should lessen the freque...
Do you recommend vitamin C supplementation with PO iron in patients with iron deficiency?
Vitamin C supplementation is unnecessary. Taking the iron with a glass of orange juice away from food and especially coffee optimizes absorption. That being said vitamin C does no harm. See vonSiebenthal et al eClinical Works 2023 (Lancet publication), Benson et al, Lancet Haem 2025 or Auerbach et a...
What is your approach to perioperative risk stratification and optimization of patients with ESRD on HD?
When evaluating a patient with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on maintenance hemodialysis for surgery, my approach to perioperative risk stratification centers on three major areas: cardiovascular risk assessment, optimization of dialysis-related factors, and careful perioperative medication and met...