Kidney failure dialysis soon overdosed?

Research: Scientists are working hard to make dialysis therapy obsolete soon. In one study, numerous gene variants were identified that could affect kidney function.

Scientists at the University of Greifswald are currently working hard to make dialysis therapy redundant in the future. In a large study, numerous gene variants have been identified that may affect kidney function. The researchers from Greifswald collaborate with numerous scientists from all over Europe. A total of 67,000 subjects were examined for the study. In their study, the scientists benefited from the fact that kidney functions can be assessed on the basis of a simply determining blood value. "Although each of these variants has little influence, the combination could be “worse” Genes significantly increase the hereditary predisposition to chronic kidney failure, "the researchers said.

The Greifswald scientists have a clearly defined goal: they want to make the strenuous and life-limiting dialysis unnecessary for patients. In the science magazine "Nature Genetics" Professor Karlhans Finally and Professor dr. Rainer Rettig: "To make blood washing and transplants largely superfluous in the future is the main concern of our work".

About 90,000 people in Germany have to undergo dialysis. Dialysis therapy is a blood purification procedure used in kidney failure. In addition to kidney transplantation, dialysis is the most important conventional renal replacement therapy in chronic kidney failure and one of the treatment options for acute renal failure. During a dialysis, blood is pumped out of the patient via an access, passed in the dialyzer (filter) on the dialysis membrane and brought back to the patient cleaned.

If kidney disease is detected too late, it can have fatal consequences. Patients then have to expect a progressive loss of kidney function. Then only dialysis or a kidney transplant will help. The most common cause of kidney failure is so-called pre-existing conditions such as hypertension or diabetes. "But not all patients who suffer from these diseases develop chronic kidney failure, so scientists have long suspected that hereditary predisposition plays an important role," Dr. Rainer Rettig. And that's exactly where the researchers want to start. (sb, 12.04.2010)