New risk calculator estimates who will need dialysis in two to five years
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 13, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A new online tool may help predict whether patients with chronic kidney disease will develop kidney failure in the next two to five years. The report was published in the Jan. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
For the study, researchers tested the accuracy of the online tool in 721,357 patients with chronic kidney disease in more than 30 countries. The investigators found that the risk calculator showed high discrimination and adequate calibration when validated in 31 multinational cohorts. The researchers noted that the addition of a calibration factor may be necessary in some regions.
Using results from kidney function tests, the tool helps those at high risk for kidney failure prepare for dialysis or kidney transplant. It also provides reassurance to those who likely won’t progress to kidney failure, lead researcher Navdeep Tangri, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor of nephrology at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, told HealthDay.
“This study sets the stage for the tool to be used globally for all patients with kidney disease. The tool helps patients plan their lives by knowing what their risk is for dialysis,” Tangri said.
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