The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

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  • Recent Comments

    Viamin D levels in kidney dialysis patients

    Researchers from Canada and the US looked for factors that might predict patients with kidney failure who are vitamin D deficient.

    First, the details.

    • 908 patients with known 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were studied.
    • Factors that might predict the presence of a vitamin D deficiency were evaluated.

    And, the results.

    • 79% of the patients were vitamin D deficient (25-hydroxyvitamin D less than 30 ng/mL).
    • Strongest predictors of vitamin D deficiency
      • Black race
      • Female sex
      • Winter season
      • Low albumin blood levels (hypoalbuminemia; blood albumin at least 3.1 g/dL)
    • The presence of hypoalbuminemia along with dialysis started during the winter was associated with 100% vitamin D deficiency in black women and black men.
      • In white women and men vitamin D deficiency was 94% and 92%, respectively.

    The bottom line?

    The authors concluded, “Deficiency of 25-hydroxyvitamin D is nearly universal among patients with hypoalbuminemia initiating chronic hemodialysis in winter.”

    It’s not proven, say the authors, that correcting these factors will benefit these patients clinically.

    3/1/10 18:58 JR

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