In clinical practice, all physicians have to deal with patients suffering from chronic kidney disease. Large numbers of these patients suffer from mild conditions, but nevertheless, they deserve special attention because inappropriate management may accelerate kidney function deterioration. On the other side, patients affected by end-stage renal disease require replacement therapies and often represent a challenge for clinicians due to their complex pathophysiology. Therefore, an adequate knowledge of the most important clinical and therapeutic aspects of renal failure is an essential requirement for every doctor, especially if we consider the increasing incidence and prevalence of this condition. The book summarises the most important etiopathogenetic and pathophysiologic aspects of chronic kidney disease and focuses the attention on important emerging topics: nutritional and dietary management, renoprotective interventions, new evidence about pathophysiological mechanisms provided by base research, innovations in pharmacological treatment, and strategies to improve patient’s quality of life. Data are reported in clear and concise language, supported by graphics, tables, and pictures that facilitate the comprehension of all the arguments.

This book systemically presents the latest research on renal fibrosis, covering all the major topics in the field, including the possible mechanisms, biomarkers, and strategies for prevention and treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Due to its high prevalence, CKD represents a huge global economic and social burden. Irrespective of the initial causes, CKD progresses to end stage kidney disease (ESKD) due to renal fibrosis, which is characterized by glomerulosclerosis, tubule atrophy and atresia, and the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the kidney. Unfortunately, an estimated 1%-2% of the adult population living with CKD will need renal replacement therapy at some point as a result of ESKD. As such, strategies for preventing or slowing CKD progression to ESKD are of utmost importance, and studies aiming to understand the mechanisms of renal fibrosis have been the focus of intensive research. Recently, novel insights into the pathophysiological processes have furthered our understanding of the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis, and more importantly, promoted studies on the early diagnosis and treatment of CKD. This book draws lessons from the extensive, state-of-the-art research in this field, elaborating the new theories and new techniques to offer readers a detailed and comprehensive understanding of renal fibrosis and as well as inspiration for future research directions.

Nephrology is one of the fastest growing specialties in medicine. Nevertheless, kidney disease is one of the most serious unmet health needs in many countries. To provide healthcare access with the desirable equity worldwide, the nephrology community needs to discuss this public health issue and take part in decisions for elaboration of public health policies with more justice and equity. This book brings together key current public health problems that affect kidney function and illuminates them in contributions by an international group of nephrologists and general practitioners. The chapters review current knowledge and provide guidelines to manage these conditions and decrease the disease burden. At the end, developments in the digital era and their application to kidney disease treatment are synthesized, and a broader outlook on the future of nephrology is given. Ultimately, the publication aims to gather nephrology and public health expertise from researchers from all over the world, providing a broad vision of issues that must be discussed and overcome to guarantee a better treatment for patients with kidney diseases in the world today.

The present book contains the Proceedings of a two day Symposium on Uremic Toxins organized at the University of Ghent in Belgium. A series of guest lectures, free communications and posters have been presented. An international audience of 163 scientists from 16 nationalities listened to and discussed extensively a spectrum of topics brought forward by colleagues and researchers who worked for many years in the field of Uremic Toxins. There is a striking contrast between all the new dialysis strategies available in the work to "clean" the uremic patients and the almost non-progression of our knowledge on uremic toxins in the past decade. In this sense the symposium was felt by all participants as a new start for the research in the biochemical field of the definition of uremia. If the present volume would stimulate new work in this field in order to define uremia, or identify the uremic toxins, the purpose of the organizers would be maximally fulfilled.

This book offers novel insights on topics such as congenital obstructive nephropathy, cerebral-renal salt wasting, and the role of hemoglobin variability in clinical outcomes of CKD which are not very often discussed in the literature. With comprehensive and insightful reviews by eminent clinicians and scientists in the field, this book is a valuable tool for nephrologists.

This book provides a comprehensive and systematic review of the latest findings in a wide spectrum of clinically important aspects of chronic kidney disease (CKD), focusing on clinical diagnosis and therapeutics. CKD is a global health problem with a rising morbidity and mortality. The last decade has seen significant improvements in determining the incidence, prevalence, and complications of CKD, mainly thanks to the definitions of CKD developed by the National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI). However, increased recognition of CKD has led to awareness of the limitations of its clinical diagnosis and treatment, which are essential to patients’ wellbeing. This book is of particular value not only to nephrologists, but also to general practitioners and residents with an interest in CKD. It offers a well-organized exposition of the current knowledge base. Compared with previously published books on kidney disease and CKD, it has a smaller number of more concise chapters. As a result, readers can easily obtain an overview of the most important topics in CKD. We hope that practitioners will gain as much from reading this practical guide to clinical management of CKD as we have from editing it.