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THURSDAY, June 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) — A medical-alert accessory is associated with a lower rate of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study published online June 6 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Eli Farhy, from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues recruited 350 patients with stage 2 to 5 predialysis CKD. One hundred eight patients were given a medical-alert accessory indicating CKD diagnosis (pilot group); the remaining 242 patients received usual care (observation group).<\/p>\n
The researchers observed no difference in the frequency of Class I and Class II safety events reported at annual visits in the pilot group versus the observation group (108.7 versus 100.6 events per 100 patient-visits [P = 0.13] and 38.3 versus 41.2 events per 100 patient-visits [P = 0.23], respectively). Compared with the observation group, the medical-alert accessory group had significantly lower crude and adjusted rates of ESKD (hazard ratios, 0.42 and 0.38, respectively). Over time, there was a variable association of the medical-alert accessory with the composite end point of ESKD or 50 percent reduction in glomerular filtration rate, but there was an early benefit with its use up to 23 months.<\/p>\n
“The findings of this study demonstrate a potential benefit associated with use of a largely overlooked, relatively ubiquitous, and simple health information technology,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n