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By Laura Byham-Gray, PhD, RD, CNSD Diabetes and the Kidney Keeping in good blood glucose control is important for lowering your risk for health complications. Glucose, often described as sugar, is made by the body, usually after eating, and serves as the fuel for every body cell. Diabetes mellitus...

By Jennifer S. Scherer, M.D.   A few years ago, I left my nephrology private practice because I was driven to do more for my patients. Throughout my training and career in nephrology, I had been intensely aware of how kidney patients – even those doing well – often have poor quality of...

By Gretchen Wiese, RD and Kathleen Hill Gallant, PhD, RD Why start a plant-based diet? A plant-based diet includes eating more plant foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), and healthy plant oils (such as olive or canola) and less animal foods...

By Gretchen Wiese, RD and Kathleen Hill Gallant, PhD, RD Why is protein important?   Protein is an important part of a balanced diet because it is necessary to help build muscles, perform daily activities and heal wounds. Healthy kidneys get rid of the wastes your body makes when it...

Goodpasture's Syndrome is an uncommon autoimmune disease that affects both the kidneys and the lungs. An autoimmune disease means that the immune system, which usually protects the body from infection, attacks healthy parts of the body by mistake. What causes the disease? The body's immune system...

What is Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD)? PTLD is group of conditions that may happen after a transplant. It involves the immune system and causes white blood cells called lymphocytes to multiply out of control.  The seriousness varies from an overgrowth of the lymphocytes...

Before dialysis was available, total kidney failure meant death. Today, people with kidney failure can live because of treatments such as dialysis and kidney transplant.

What is C3G? C3G stands for complement 3 glomerulopathy. The "C3" refers to a blood protein that plays a key role in normal immunity and in the development of this disease. More on this later. The "G" is for glomerulopathy, meaning damage to the glomeruli in the kidney. Glomeruli filter your blood...

Thin basement membrane disease (TBMD) is an inherited disorder that mainly affects the glomeruli, which are tiny tufts of capillaries (small blood vessels) in the kidneys that filter wastes from the blood. It is a rare disorder that has been diagnosed in less than 1 percent of the population. The...

What is membranous nephropathy? Many diseases can affect your kidney function by attacking and damaging the glomeruli, the tiny filtering units inside your kidney where blood is cleaned. Glomerular diseases include many conditions with many different genetic and environmental causes. Membranous...

What is Fabry Disease? Fabry disease is a rare disorder that happens when the body lacks an important enzyme called alpha-galactosidase A (alpha GAL). This enzyme breaks down certain fats so they can be removed from cells and passed out of the body or be recycled for other functions. When alpha GAL...

What is hematuria? Hematuria means that red blood cells are in the urine. Urine does not normally contain red blood cells because the filters in the kidney prevent blood from entering the urine. In hematuria, the filters or other parts of the urinary tract allow blood to leak into the urine....