An intersectional gender analysis in kidney transplantation: women who donate a kidney.

BACKGROUND: Living-donor transplantation is the best treatment option in patients with chronic kidney failure. Global data show that women are less likely to be kidney recipients than men but are more likely to become living kidney donors. We explored the experience of women who donate a kidney to relatives with biological and socio-cultural ties and to understand the similarities and differences in their experience. METHODS: A qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study with an intersectional analysis of gender. Ten women donors accepted in the transplant evaluation period participated, all of whom donated a kidney to a pre-dialysis relative. Two categories were included: women with biological kinship ties (mothers, sisters) and women who have a socio-cultural relationship (wives) with kidney recipient. The data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Women donate their kidneys in a convinced manner, without worrying about their health, with an optimistic and positive attitude, and without believing that they are acting heroically. Women with biological kinship ties see it as a 'naturalization thing'. In contrast, wives donate conditioned by gender roles, but also as a form of empowerment and as a personal benefit: they donate in order to avoid taking on carer role for their husband and as a way of protecting their children. CONCLUSION: The study's findings expand the conception of kidney donation as solely altruistic and may help professionals to pay attention to the complexity and intersectionality of features present in women who are living kidney donors.

Descripción del estado nutricional de los pacientes de una unidad de diálisis mediante el uso de la escala 'Malnutrition Inflamation Score' / Description of the nutritional state of patients in a dialysis unit using the Malnutrition Inflammation Score

Introducción. La desnutrición es un problema de salud muy frecuente en la población con insufi ciencia renal crónica en diálisis. Dada la alta prevalencia de malnutrición en los pacientes en diálisis y su repercusión sobre la morbi-mortalidad de los pacientes es preciso instaurar un adecuado seguimiento de los aspectos nutricionales, para detectar precozmente a pacientes en riesgo o con déficit nutricionales y realizar una intervención nutricional precoz que consiga revertir la situación. Objetivos. · Describir el estado nutricional de los pacientes atendidos en la unidad de diálisis del servicio de nefrología del Consorcio Hospitalario de Vic, según la escala 'Malnutrition Inflamation Score' y durante un período de 2 años. · Describir las características sociodemográfi cas y clínicas de los pacientes en diálisis del Consorcio Hospitalario de Vic que han sido sometidos a una valoración de su estado nutricional, mediante la escala 'Malnutrition Infl amation Score'. · Analizar si factores como el género, la edad, el tipo de tratamiento dialítico, la presencia de comorbilidad, el tipo de vía de acceso de hemodiálisis, el tiempo en tratamiento dialítico, el número de ingresos o el total de días de ingreso están relacionados con el estado nutricional de los pacientes en diálisis del Consorcio Hospitalario de Vic, según las puntuaciones obtenidas de la escala 'Malnutrition Inflamation Score'. Material y métodos. Estudio transversal prospectivo. Realizado en la Unidad Nefrológica del Consorcio Hospitalario de Vic. Se estudiaron los enfermos diagnosticados de enfermedad renal crónica sometidos a diálisis y se incluyeron los pacientes en diálisis y con un historial de tratamiento de más de tres meses. El estudio se realizó de Enero del 2009 hasta Diciembre de 2010. Se analizaron variables sociodemográficas (edad, género, tipo de tratamiento dialítico, origen de la nefropatía, existencia de historial de comorbilidad , vía de acceso para la hemodiálisis, situación tratamiento dialítico, causa finalización tratamiento dialítico), el estado nutricional según escala 'Malnutrition Infl amation Score' y el consumo de recursos (número de ingresos anuales, total de días de ingresos anuales, tiempo de tratamiento en diálisis). Los datos se obtuvieron de los registros informatizados del servicio de nefrología. Para el análisis estadístico se utilizó el programa SPSS v.18.0...(AU)

Introduction. Malnutrition is a very frequent health problem in the population with chronic kidney insufficiency receiving dialysis. Given the high prevalence of malnutrition in dialysis patients and its effect on morbimortality of patients, it is necessary to establish an adequate monitoring of nutritional aspects for early detection of patients at risk or with nutritional deficit and carry out an early nutritional intervention that will manage to reverse the situation. Objectives. · To describe the nutritional state of patients attended at the dialysis unit of the nephrology service of the Consorcio Hospitalario de Vic, according to the Malnutrition Infl ammation Score for a period of 2 years. · To describe the socio-demographic and clinical features of dialysis patients in the Consorcio Hospitalario de Vic whose nutritional state was assessed using the Malnutrition Inflammation Score. · To analyse whether factors such as gender, age, type of dialysis treatment, the presence of comorbility, the type of haemodialysis access, the time on dialysis, the number of hospitalizations or total number of days hospitalized are related to the nutritional state of dialysis patients at the Consorcio Hospitalario de Vic, according to the Malnutrition Infl ammation Scores obtained. Material and methods. Prospective transversal study. Carried out at the Nephrology Unit of the Consorcio Hospitalario de Vic. Patients diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and who undergo dialysis were studied, and dialysis patients with treatment records of more than three months were included. The study was carried out from January 2009 to December 2010. Sociodemographic variables (age, gender, type of dialysis treatment, origin of the renal pathology, existence of history of comorbility, access used for haemodialysis, situation of dialysis treatment, cause for end of dialysis treatment), the nutritional state according to the Malnutrition Inflammation Score and consumption of resources (number of hospitalizations per year, total number of days hospitalized per year, time on dialysis) were analysed. The data were obtained from the computerized records of the nephrology service. The SPSS v.18.0. programme was used for the statistical analysis...(AU)

Study of candidate genes affecting the progression of renal disease in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease type 1.

BACKGROUND: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a systemic disorder with a wide spectrum of renal involvement. Differences in the age at onset of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are partially explained by the genetic heterogeneity of the disease but intrafamilial variability remains to be explained. Modifier genes may play a role in disease severity. METHODS: A total of 355 PKD1 patients from 131 families belonging to three different European centres were analysed. According to the age at onset of ESRD patients were classified into two groups: early and late onset. Two different cut-offs were used. Based on literature, early onset was firstly considered when ESRD was reached before 40 years of age and late onset after 60 years of age. Secondly, according to the bimodal distribution of age at onset of ESRD in our population we established two groups with similar variability and the cut-offs were assigned before 48 years of age and after 56 years of age. These groups of patients were then analysed by two different complementary perspectives: (i) using ESRD onset as a quantitative trait when performing survival analysis and Cox regression analysis, and (ii) considering it a qualitative trait. The candidate genes (and polymorphisms) studied were the following: NOS3 (T-786C and E298D), BDKRB1 (-699 G > C), BDKRB2 (R14C), TGFB1 (-509 C > T, R25P and L10P), ACE (I/D), EGFR (IVS1CA) and PKD2 (-9780 G > A, -718 A > G and 83 C > G). RESULTS: The results disclosed that the ACE polymorphism had a slight influence on the age of onset of ESRD in ADPKD patients and the NOS3 and BDKBR1 polymorphisms showed a very slight involvement in renal outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Our results discard the most prominent functional genes suggested to date, to have a major effect on ADPKD progression in this cohort. Genes strongly implicated in disease severity are yet to be identified. The description of such genes would allow us to establish a prognosis for ADPKD and eventually to develop therapeutic interventions.