Renal scars masquerading as complex masses in a patient with vesicoureteral reflux nephropathy.

Vesicoureteral reflux can lead to chronic pyelonephritis, renal scarring, and renal failure. We present a case of renal scarring masquerading as bilateral, complex renal masses. A 35-year old woman who was diagnosed with vesicoureteral reflux as a child presented for evaluation of recently developed hypertension and an abnormal renal ultrasound. Her serum creatinine level was 2.5 mg/dL and she had subnephrotic-range proteinuria. A renal sonogram showed small, echogenic kidneys and bilateral complex renal masses of 3.8 (right) and 4.4 (left) cm in greatest dimensions. CT scan of the kidneys revealed slightly contrast-enhancing masses with irregular walls. Renal angiogram showed decreased blood supply to the areas coinciding with the masses consistent with renal scarring. There was no increased vascularity. This case demonstrates that renal scarring may masquerade as renal masses. A step-wise, comprehensive approach is necessary to rule out potentially malignant lesions in these patients.

Race-dependent survival disparity on hemodialysis: higher serum aluminum as an independent risk factor for higher mortality in whites.

The mortality rate on hemodialysis therapy remains unacceptably high, and it is worse in whites than blacks. Substantially elevated serum aluminum levels have been shown to predict mortality on hemodialysis. However, whether this is a factor in the race-dependent survival difference on hemodialysis therapy is presently unknown. To determine the relevance of serum aluminum level on race-dependent survival disparity on chronic hemodialysis therapy, 1-year survival of 118 whites was prospectively compared with 473 age- and sex-matched blacks. The variables predictive for survival, including serum aluminum level, were defined separately in whites and blacks using Cox univariate and multivariate analyses. The 1-year mortality rate was significantly greater in whites than blacks (18% versus 12%; P: < 0.001). Serum albumin level, body mass index (BMI), and creatinine level had a positive influence, whereas age had a negative influence on survival in both groups in the univariate analysis. The mean serum aluminum level was significantly greater in whites (n = 118) than blacks (n = 473; 20 +/- 2.3 versus 14 +/- 0.6 [SE] ng/mL; P: = 0.0009) and was not caused by increased duration on dialysis, increased prescription of aluminum-containing phosphate binders, or reduced delivered dose of dialysis. Unlike the blacks, serum aluminum levels had a significant negative influence on the survival of whites, and this persisted in multivariate analysis after controlling for age, sex, diabetes, albumin level, creatinine level, and BMI (relative risk, 1.013; 95% confidence interval, 1.004 to 1.023; P: < 0.007). In summary, this study suggests that whites undergoing hemodialysis may have greater serum aluminum levels than blacks, which might contribute to the whites' greater rate of mortality. Because hyperaluminemia is a modifiable risk factor, studies are required to verify our findings, explore the mechanism of elevated aluminum levels in whites, and test the hypothesis that reducing serum aluminum levels in whites may improve their survival.