Kidney Research UK

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Comment by Mario Belledonne on January 2, 2010 at 7:52pm

To my knowledge there are no studies done on the role of chronic stress on subjects with kidney dysfunction, or its role in GFR in Minority populations. There are studies on the effects of chronic stress on metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and diabetes type 2 and in the possible role of sympathetic activity in certain types of hypertension. To this regard it is pertinent to remember that the kidney has significant auto regulatory mechanisms that protect the GFR for changes due to physiological changes is sympathetic activity, volume, electrolyte composition, blood pressure etc, so that the insult to decrease GFR has to be significant to surpass auto regulation –severe hemorrhage, shock trauma, septic shock, or the insult has to interfere with ACE inhibition in face of significant renal artery stenosis or prostaglandin inhibition. In isolated kidney studies sympathetic stimulation has shown to provoke blood flow redistribution from the cortex to the medulla –preservation of medullary flow might be due to nitric oxide, angiotensin II activity, prostaglandings etc. Studies in the long-term effects of nerve stimuli in the laboratory preparation has shown that sympathetic nerve stimulation does not control the mean level of renal blood flow but it could have an episodic effect.

Comment by Janice Cori Cobb on January 1, 2010 at 7:29am

Happy New Year, and thank you for your warm welcome!

Has research yet been done concerning the role of chronic stress, particularly among persons with compromised renal function, resulting
from the decrease in blood flow to the kidneys, (and, of course, a proportionate decrease in GFR) characteistic of sympathetic activation?

Comment by Janice Cori Cobb on December 31, 2009 at 4:27am

Greetings from the U.S.!
To what extent, if any, do you screen patients -- and their family members for chronic excessive stress-related cortisol production? The marked reduction in blood flow to the kidneys associated with increased cortisol production definitive of sympathetic activation, results, also, in a reduction in GFR, which may prove significant.

Minority populations, by virtue of their socially undermined status, typically experience chronic stress, and would, therefore, tend to be at greater risk than members of the dominant group,

Comment by Mario Belledonne on December 29, 2009 at 9:13pm

Gretting from the US. I wonder what is the prevalence of diabetic kidney disease and the incidence of End Stage Renal Disease in the UK population. Are there any ethnic groups more affected than others?