Key Points Question Is daprodustat, a hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor, an effective oral alternative to darbepoetin alfa in the treatment of anemia of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in incident dialysis (ID) patients? Findings In this randomized clinical trial of 312 ID patients, daprodustat was noninferior to darbepoetin alfa in treating anemia of CKD; the difference in mean hemoglobin concentration between study arms during the evaluation period was 10.5 g/dL for patients receiving daprodustat and 10.6 g/dL for patients receiving darbepoetin alfa. Meaning The study results suggest that daprodustat represents an oral alternative treatment to a conventional erythropoiesis-stimulating agent in the ID population.

Background: This multicenter international cross-sectional observational study characterized vascular and valvular calcification burden and correlations with pulse pressure, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases in prevalent hemodialysis patients. Methods: We enrolled 275 consecutive adults with end-stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis for ⩾3 months. Coprimary endpoints were prevalences of: (1) echocardiographic calcification in mitral valve, aortic valve or mitral annulus; (2) aortoiliac tree vascular calcifications by plain lateral lumbar X-ray. Correlations among calcification sites and with demographics and comorbidities were determined. Pulse pressures were determined. Results: Subjects' mean ± standard deviation (SD) age was 56 ± 15.9 years; mean (SD) dialysis duration was 4.5 ± 4.3 years. Overall, 100% of echocardiographically imaged patients (n = 243) had calcification in aortic valve, mitral valve, or mitral annulus; 77.8% of X-rayed patients (n = 248) had abdominal aortic calcification. Radiographic abdominal aortic calcification score correlated significantly with calcification of aortic valve (p < 0.0001) and mitral annulus (p = 0.0001) but not mitral valve. Aortic valve, mitral valve, and mitral annulus calcification correlated significantly among themselves (p < 0.0001). Moderate/severe aortic valve calcification was significantly more prevalent in patients aged ⩾65 years than <65 years, men than women, and Whites than African Americans. Pulse pressure correlated significantly with vascular calcification score (p = 0.0049) but not with valvular calcification at any site. Conclusions: Vascular and valvular calcification are highly prevalent in the hemodialysis population. Peripheral vascular calcification correlates significantly with elevated pulse pressure and can be assessed easily using lateral lumbar X-ray. Further studies investigating the interaction between pulse pressure and development or progression of vascular calcification are of interest.

If nephrolithiasis (NL) promotes progression to end stage renal disease (ESRD), requiring renal replacement therapy, one might expect a higher prevalence of pre-ESRD stones among ESRD versus non-ESRD subjects. We compared the prevalence of pre-ESRD stones in an African-American (AA) hemodialysis (HD) population to the estimated stone prevalence in a nationally representative cohort of AA persons as obtained by the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES III). Face-to-face questionnaires were administered to a sample of 300 AA HD patients undergoing dialysis therapy at the University of Chicago to determine pre-ESRD NL prevalence. All data on pre-ESRD stone prevalence was confirmed by documented medical history, radiology and laboratory findings, where available. Prevalence of pre-ESRD NL in AA HD patients was 8.3% versus 2.8% in the age, race and sex adjusted NHANES III population (P < 0.001). After adjustment for age and sex, it was estimated that the prevalence of pre-ESRD kidney stones among AA HD patients is significantly higher than the prevalence of kidney stones found in the general AA population.

BackgroundAlthough chronic kidney disease (CKD) disproportionately affects older adults, they are less likely to be referred to a nephrologist. Factors that influence the referral decisions of primary care providers (PCPs) specifically for older CKD patients have been incompletely described. Patient factors such as dementia, functional disability, and co-morbidity may complicate the decision to refer an older adult. This study evaluated the role of patient and PCP factors in the referral decisions for older adults with stage 4 CKD.MethodsWe administered a two-part survey to study the decisions of practicing PCPs. First, using a blocked factorial design, vignettes systematically varied 6 patient characteristics: age, race, gender, co-morbidity, functional status, and cognitive status. CKD severity, patient preferences, and degree of anemia were held constant. Second, covariates from a standard questionnaire included PCP estimates of life expectancy, demographics, reaction to clinical uncertainty, and risk aversion. The main outcome was the decision to refer to the nephrologist. Random effects logistic regression models tested independent associations of predictor variables with the referral decision.ResultsMore than half (62.5%) of all PCP decisions (n = 680) were to refer to a nephrologist. Vignette-based factors that independently decreased referral included older patient age (OR = 0.27; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.48) and having moderate dementia (OR = 0.14; 95%CI, 0.07 to 0.25). There were no associations between co-morbidity or impaired functional activity with the referral decision. Survey-based PCP factors that significantly increased the referral likelihood include female gender (OR = 7.75; 95%CI, 2.07 to 28.93), non-white race (OR = 30.29; 95%CI, 1.30 to 703.73), those who expect nephrologists to discuss goals of care (OR = 53.13; 95%CI, 2.42 to 1168.00), those with higher levels of anxiety about uncertainty (OR = 1.28; 95%CI, 1.04 to 1.57), and those with greater risk aversion (OR = 3.39; 95%CI, 1.02 to 11.24).ConclusionsIn this decision making study using hypothetical clinical vignettes, we found that the PCP decision to refer older patients with severe CKD to a nephrologist reflects a complex interplay between patient and provider factors. Age, dementia, and several provider characteristics weighed more heavily than co-morbidity and functional status in PCP referral decisions. These results suggest that practice guidelines should develop a more nuanced approach to the referral of older adults with CKD.

Cinacalcet is a type II calcimimetic approved for treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with end-stage renal disease. It is generally well tolerated with the most common side effects being nausea and vomiting. Symptomatic hypocalcemia is rare, and persistent hypocalcemia has not been reported to date. We present a case of a 66-year-old woman on chronic outpatient hemodialysis who was initiated on cinacalcet when her intact parathyroid hormone was 1091 pg/mL (normal 15-75 pg/dL). Two weeks later she developed diffuse muscle twitching. The patient required a 72-hour hospitalization and treatment with a continuous intravenous calcium infusion for symptomatic hypocalcemia. The intact parathyroid hormone level at this time was 176 pg/mL. This case is the first report of cinacalcet-induced prolonged and symptomatic hypocalcemia, closely resembling the hungry bone syndrome described in some patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism following surgical parathyroidectomy.