Kidney failure in childhood: Gender influences survival chances

Anette Melk ( left ) talking to Rizky Sugianto about a pulse wave finding. The measurement of pulse wave velocity allows the estimation of vascular stiffening; Copyright: Karin Kaiser / MHH - MHH study: Vessels of girls suffer more damage than those of boys Gender plays a role: chronic kidney disease has a greater effect on the vessels of girls than on those of boys. Researchers at the Hannover Medical School (MHH) have now been able to show this in a European study. Although the mortality rate in children after kidney transplantation has fallen in recent decades, it is still very high compared to the general population due to early cardiovascular complications. "Our new findings can explain the higher mortality of girls with kidney failure," says Dr Rizky Sugianto, lead author of the study. "We show that girls with advanced chronic kidney disease are more prone to developing vascular stiffness compared to boys; this difference persists after transplant." Vascular stiffness is a medical characteristic used to diagnose the progression of cardiovascular disease. The researchers and doctors are publishing their findings in Kidney International, currently the most important journal for kidney disease.