View clinical trials related to Kidney Failure, Chronic.
Filter by:OBJECTIVES: I. Assess the clinical safety and long term effects of recombinant human growth hormone on a defined range of nutritional indices in malnourished chronic hemodialysis and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients.
To evaluate the safety, tolerance, and pharmacokinetics of Retrovir (AZT) administration in HIV-infected patients in renal failure receiving maintenance hemodialysis.
This study will examine the effectiveness of the drug pirfenidone in treating focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Patients with this disease have kidney fibrosis (scarring) and proteinuria (excessive excretion of protein in the urine). About half of patients with FSGS eventually require kidney dialysis or transplant. Steroids, which are currently used to treat the disease, are effective in only a minority of patients. Other drugs, such as cyclosporin and cyclophosphamide, improve proteinuria in a very small percentage of patients and have serious side effects. Patients with FSGS who wish to participate in this study will undergo pre-study evaluation with blood and urine tests. Patients must be on a stable dose of an ACE inhibitor (a drug that lowers blood pressure and reduces proteinuria) for at list 6 months before starting pirfenidone therapy. (Patients who are not already taking an ACE inhibitor will be started on the drug; those who cannot tolerate ACE inhibitors will be given a different drug.) Patients with elevated cholesterol will take a cholesterol-lowering drug. A diet containing approximately 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day will be recommended. Patients will take pirfenidone by mouth 3 times a day for 12 months. Blood and urine will be tested once a month, either at NIH or by the patient's local kidney specialist. They will collect two 24-hour urine samples at the beginning of the treatment period, at 2-month intervals throughout the study, and at a 6-month follow-up. Patients will also be asked to give three to five tubes of blood and urine samples for analysis during the study. In animal studies, pirfenidone improved kidney function and proteinuria and reduced kidney scarring in rats with a disease similar to FSGS. In human studies, pirfenidone improved breathing and survival in patients with lung fibrosis.
Kidney transplantation is the preferred treatment for most end-stage kidney disease. This procedure is limited, however, by two major factors: 1) a shortage of donor organs and 2) organ rejection by the recipient. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases is screening patients with kidney failure or diabetes who may be eligible for kidney, kidney and pancreas, or islet cell transplantation. Patients in this screening study are not offered treatment. When the screening is complete, patients will be offered an opportunity to participate in another institute study, or, if there are no active studies appropriate for the patient, other options will be suggested to the primary or referring physician. Patients found eligible for a study are not obligated to participate. Screening for all patients typically consists of blood tests, urinalysis, electrocardiogram, PPD tuberculosis screen and pregnancy test. Chest and kidney X-rays and other studies may be done on patients determined eligible for a particular study, including transplantation. A summary of all test results will be sent to the referring physician unless the patient requests otherwise. ...