WEDNESDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Hydrating kidney disease patients with sodium bicarbonate during coronary angiography is no more effective in reducing the risk of serious kidney disease than hydration with sodium chloride, researchers say.

Neuropathy is a serious kidney disorder and a known complication of exposure to the iodine in the contrast agent used during angiography. The risk of neuropathy related to contrast agents ranges from 2 percent in low-risk people to 50 percent in those who are at high-risk.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Women who've experienced the pregnancy complication known as preeclampsia face a much greater risk of end-stage renal disease, new research suggests.

In fact, says the report in the Aug. 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the rate of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) was between 3.2 and 15.5 times greater for women who had preeclampsia in pregnancy.

TUESDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A daily dose of the erectile dysfunction drug tadalafil (Cialis) helped relieve lower urinary tract symptoms in men with signs of enlarged prostates, according to a new study.

More than 50 percent of men age 50 and older have lower urinary tract symptoms, including increased urination frequency and urgency, straining, intermittence, incomplete emptying or a weak urinary stream. Current drugs used to treat the condition can produce side effects such as dizziness, low blood pressure and sexual dysfunction.

MONDAY, Aug. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Chewing gum helps improve recovery of intestinal function after all or part of the colon has been surgically removed, according to British researchers who reviewed data from five clinical trials involving 158 patients.

The inability of the intestines to pass contents after surgery (postoperative ileus) is normal among abdominal surgery patients and is a major contributing factor to post-surgery nausea, vomiting, cramps, and the pain and discomfort associated with abdominal distension, according to background information in the article.

FRIDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- The drug rituximab may significantly reduce kidney damage in people with a common form of kidney disease called membranous nephropathy, believed to be caused by autoimmune reactions against the kidney.

The disease, characterized by large amounts of protein in the urine, leads to impaired kidney function that may eventually require dialysis or a transplant.

Thank you, all of you who have responded and given me leads to further my knowledge on this (new) condition; I plan to have a further blood test this week and will then write down any new aspects learned, after hearing the results and seeing my doctor.

The websites given to me are really helpful - thanks again!

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Monitoring levels of a hormone called fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) may help improve treatment of kidney failure patients, say Massachusetts General Hospital researchers.

Their analysis of patient data revealed that those who had elevated levels of FGF-23 when they began hemodialysis were much more likely to die within the first year of treatment, regardless of other risk factors.

I am a diabetic lady, just 70 years young! Very fit, but have now learned that I have (mild) kidney disease which manifests itself in too high a potassium content, which I must lower through diet, exercise and ?????
Any help will be gratefully received.

THURSDAY, July 31 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute say that have solved the mystery of how cranberry juice prevents urinary tract infections.

Their study, published in the current issue of Colloids and Surfaces: B, shows that the juice changes the thermodynamic properties of bacteria in the urinary tract to form an energy barrier that prevents infections from developing.

I just read the EmpowHer News article that says ice tea is the worst thing that someone is who is prone to kidney stones can drink (which is my husband), due to the oxalates in the iced tea.

Why is it specifically ice tea and not hot tea? Aren't they made from the same thing? Is it actually more about the quantity of tea? (it is easier to drink a large quantity of iced tea than hot tea). Is there any such thing as tea without oxalates? As the article says, we drink tea because we thought it was healthier than soda, and we get tired of drinking water.