British Journal of Renal Medicine - 2003


Comment: Ethnic diversity and renal disease – the funding gap
John Scoble
pp 4-4
Kidney disease is a rare, but potentially devastating, illness. After the pioneering work of Kolff in 1944 – which showed that dialysis via an extracorporeal circulation was possible – long-term life-saving treatment gradually became a reality and is now technically possible for the majority of patients developing end-stage renal failure (ESRF). Despite the relatively low prevalence of ESRF across the UK, it is calculated that renal replacement therapy accounts for approximately 2% of NHS expenditure.
Advantages of combining diabetes and renal clinics
Riaz Malik, Ann Palmer, Andrew Boulton and Ram Gokal
pp 6-9
The overall prevalence of diabetes is predicted by the WHO to increase to 300 million by 2025. Diabetic nephropathy is also on the increase, and, in the USA, is the cause of end-stage renal failure in up to 45% of patients on dialysis. Thus, diabetes is emerging as a public health issue that will present a major challenge to healthcare providers in the 21st century.
Who should be on the transplant waiting list?
Chris J Rudge
pp 10-12
In the UK, there are approximately 19,000 patients receiving dialysis of one form or another. Of this number, 5,134 are currently active on the National Transplant Waiting List (as of 23 August 2003). The percentage of dialysis patients on the waiting list varies across the country, from 16% to 38%, although the reasons for this variation are not clear. In the financial year 2002–03, 1,775 kidney transplants were performed and 2,462 new patients were added to the waiting list.
What I tell my patients about haemodialysis in children
Diane Hewson
pp 13-16
Kidney disease in children is rare, but when a child does have a problem, it is important that they are cared for in a children’s renal (kidney) unit. The Children and Young People’s Kidney Unit in Nottingham is one of only 13 units in the UK that provide this type of care.
Chronic renal failure due to twin-to-twin transfusion
Mohamed Abdelraheem and Alan R Watson
pp 19-20
Twin-to-twin intrauterine transfusion is a condition recognised to have a high morbidity and mortality in neonates. Chronic intrauterine transfer of blood from the donor fetus to the recipient may cause the donor to develop renal failure due to chronic hypoperfusion, cortical necrosis or dysplasia. The recipient, on the other hand, may develop polycythaemia, hypertension and/or thrombosis.
Establishing managed clinical networks in renal healthcare
Jennifer A Scott and Donal J O'Donoghue
pp 21-24
Managed clinical networks have been described as, ‘Linked groups of health professionals and organisations from primary, secondary and tertiary care, working in a co-ordinated manner, unconstrained by existing professional and health board boundaries, to ensure equitable provision of high quality, clinically effective services’.
Evaluating a pharmacist-led erythropoietin clinic
Angela Mitchell and Caitriona Donnelly
pp 25-27
Two renal pharmacists at the Belfast City Hospital (BCH) developed an outpatient erythropoietin (EPO) clinic for patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) who were not dialysis-dependent. A once-weekly clinic was established for approximately 60 renal patients. An evaluation of clinic performance was conducted after a year of operation and included an audit of treatment control and a survey of patient and consultant satisfaction.

The British Journal of Renal Medicine was previously supported by Baxter Healthcare from 2011 to 2013, by Sandoz in 2011, by Shire Pharmaceuticals from 2006 to 2011, by Ortho Biotech and Shire Pharmaceuticals in 2005, by Ortho Biotech from 2000 to 2005 and by Janssen Cilag from 1996 to 2000.

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ISSN 1365-5604 (Print)  ISSN 2045-7839 (Online)