Genetic algorithm could predict risk of kidney disease decades before onset

Jun 18, 2022

New Delhi, June 18 (ANI): A new study by the Columbia University Irving Medical Center suggests that by analysing thousands of genetic risk variants, a new algorithm may be able to predict your risk of developing chronic kidney disease decades before the onset. “With this polygenic method, we can identify individuals at risk decades before the onset of kidney disease, and those with high risk might adopt protective lifestyle changes to reduce that risk,” says Krzysztof Kiryluk, MD, Associate Professor of medicine and a physician-scientist in the division of nephrology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and certain medications, such as NSAIDs, are known to increase the risk of kidney disease. Early detection of kidney disease could prevent many cases of kidney failure and reduce the need for transplant or dialysis, but the disease is often silent until it has caused significant kidney damage.