Tag : Chirag

Maryland (US): A recent study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers suggests that coffee consumption is linked to a reduced risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). The findings, published May 5 in the journal Kidney International Reports, show that those who drank any quantity of coffee every day had a 15% lower risk of AKI, with the largest reductions observed in the group that drank two to three cups a day (a 22%-23% lower risk). "We already know that drinking coffee on a regular basis has been associated with the prevention of chronic and degenerative diseases including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and liver disease," says study corresponding author Chirag Parikh, M.D., PhD, director of the Division of Nephrology and professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "We can now add a possible reduction in AKI risk to the growing list of health benefits for caffeine." AKI, as described by the National Kidney Foundation, is a "sudden episode of kidney failure or kidney damage that happens within a few hours or a few days." This causes waste products to build up in the blood, making it hard for the kidneys to maintain the correct balance of fluids in the body. AKI symptoms differ depending on the cause and may include: too little urine leaving the body; swelling in the legs and ankles, and around the eyes; fatigue; shortness of breath; confusion; nausea; chest pain; and in severe cases, seizures or coma. The disorder is most commonly seen in hospitalized patients whose kidneys are affected by medical and surgical stress and complications. Using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, an ongoing survey of cardiovascular disease in four U.S. communities, researchers assessed 14,207 adult ...