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New Canadian Guidelines Reduce Cardiac Disease in Patients on Dialysis TORONTO, ON -- January 26, 2004 -- More than 1.4 million Canadians have chronic kidney disease, while approximately 14,400 are on kidney dialysis.1 Of these, more than half will die from cardiovascular disease. New kidney disease guidelines are stressing the importance of controlling phosphate and calcium levels in the blood of dialysis patients and recommend the use of non-calcium phosphate binders. In many kidney dialysis patients, it may serve as a way of reducing cardiac disease. Kidney dialysis patients are often unable to control the amount of phosphorous in their bodies despite appropriate dietary and dialysis regimens. They therefore must take a phosphate-binder to help absorb and pass the excess. Currently the most widely used phosphate binders contain calcium which can put kidney dialysis patients at risk for cardiac calcification, a serious condition that can expose them to heart disease and even death. The new Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) by the National Kidney Foundation detail a set of aggressive new therapeutic goals regarding phosphate and calcium which are designed to improve the care of patients with chronic kidney disease. Developed by an expert panel of independent health care professionals, the guidelines include Renagel® (sevelamer hydrochloride) as a first-line option for patients on hemodialysis. It is the only non-calcium phosphate binder on the market. The guidelines, which appear as a supplement to the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, "will change the way we manage patients with chronic kidney disease, especially those at risk for vascular and cardiac calcification," says Dr. Sarah Prichard, a nephrologist at Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Quebec. Preventing Calcification "Vascular calcification is common and severe, and increases in severity with time spent on dialysis," notes Dr. David Churchill, a nephrologist at St. Josephs Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. "But the new treatment guidelines encourage physicians to aggressively manage phosphorus while remaining vigilant against calcification." Dr. Churchill adds the guidelines recommend the use of Renagel, the only non-calcium phosphate binder, to decrease dialysis patients exposure to excessive calcium. "Not having functioning kidneys means that my body can't control certain chemicals," adds dialysis patient Robert Phemister of Montreal, Quebec. "Now that I'm taking Renagel, I know that my heart is more likely to be protected from excessive calcium levels." The situations in which non-calcium based phosphate binders are preferred include patients with moderate to severe vascular or soft tissue calcification, patients with higher than normal blood calcium levels and patients with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Genzyme Corporation is a biotechnology and health care products company that develops innovative products and services for major unmet medical needs. Genzyme Canada Inc., located in Mississauga, Ontario, is the Canadian affiliate of Genzyme Corp., headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Reference: 1 Canadian Institute for Health Information SOURCE: Karisma Communications E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version