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Kidney Disease and Loss of Appetite

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Why do CKD Patients Have a Poor Appetite? Poor appetite is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and these symptoms worsen as the disease progresses. The continuous decline of the glomerular filtration rate in CKD patients is associated with a significant reduction in food intake. Around one-third of chronic dialysis patients complain of a fair or poor appetite. And this is directly related to poor patient outcomes. A close association between appetite, malnutrition, and inflammation has been reported in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Leptin inhibits food intake, stimulates energy expenditure, and modulates the activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). 28-amino acid peptide ghrelin, synthesized principally in the stomach is responsible for increasing food intake and body weight. Lower levels of acyl ghrelin and obestatin are found in Hemodialysis patients. Increased PTH levels also influence the appetite negatively. Appetite Regulation The factors influencing food int...
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Psychoses and India

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  Every 7 th Indian is affected by mental disorders of varying severity in 2017. This number in India has almost doubled since 1990. And this burden of mental disorders in India is further estimated to increase by 23% of DALYs by the year 2025.  Depressive disorders (33·8%) and anxiety disorders (19·0%) are the highest contributors to DALYs due to mental disorders in India in 2017, followed by IDID (10·8%), schizophrenia (9·8%), bipolar disorder (6·9%), and conduct disorder (5·9%). Mental disorders are contributing significantly to morbidity, disability, low productivity, poor quality of life, and socioeconomic losses. Why are these numbers increasing in India? The fastest growing economy comes with a cost An increase in stress at the workplace and home, stressful life events, low mental health knowledge, attitudes and behaviors towards a mentally ill patient, history of physical and mental disorders, family history of mental disorders, and alcohol and substance use are the...
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Kidney Care in Diabetes

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  Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) Around 40% of diabetes patients develop DKD which is the major cause of ESRD. DKD is a major but less recognized contributor to the global burden of disease. There is a 94% rise in deaths of DKD between 1990 and 2012. Most of the excess risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality for patients with diabetes is related to DKD. Metabolic changes in diabetes lead to glomerular hypertrophy, glomerulosclerosis, and tubulointerstitial inflammation and fibrosis. Despite current therapies, the risk of diabetic kidney disease onset and progression kept on increasing. The development of therapeutic agents targeting kidney-specific disease mechanisms (e.g., glomerular hyperfiltration, inflammation, and fibrosis) is urgently needed to improve health outcomes for patients with diabetic kidney disease. Risk Factors Advancing age with a family history of DKD and, high protein intake are the major risk factors for DKD. Males were found to have DKD more than ...
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CKD and Anemia

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  Anemia: Common but fatal complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD) Anemia was first linked to CKD by Richard Bright over 170 years ago. It is a form of normocytic, normochromic, hypoproliferative anemia. Around 60% of CKD non-dialysis dependant patients are anemic with rates of up to 90% in Stage 5 patients. Anemia starts developing when the glomerular filtration rate drops to below 60 mg/ml. The anemia is rare in a patient with a GFR above 80 mg/ml. As the GFR lowers, the anemia worsens. How does anemia develop in CKD patients? It is driven by two major factors. First, patients with CKD produce less erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone produced by the kidneys that stimulate red blood cell production. Second, hepcidin, a hormone that at high levels impairs dietary iron absorption is elevated in patients with CKD. Management of anemia in CKD? As we discussed two major factors for developing anemia in CKD , the management of the same is the key here. Treatment is focused on impro...
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Carnosine and Gingko Biloba in Brain-Related Disorders

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  Brain disorders becoming a serious threat to human health not in India but worldwide. Mental health conditions are now the leading cause of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), accounting for 37% of healthy life years lost from non-communicable diseases. Need for effective management of brain disorders Treating the symptoms is the main goal of Neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disease management. But the currently available drugs are lacking in disease-modifying activity, efficacy, and tolerability. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify more effective, low-cost, and easily scalable interventions to prevent and treat neurological, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric disorders. Nutraceuticals for neuroprotection With an increasing need to adhere to healthy options, the demand for nutraceuticals is widely increasing to combat neurological interventions. In this blog let’s put some light on the potential of carnosine and Ginkgo biloba in neuroprotection. Carnosine Carnosi...
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