Some of our favorite actors, composers, writers, musicians, and athletes have died from kidney disease—many of them, far too soon. Mozart’s death is a fascinating medical mystery, to be explored in a future blog post.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer, died 1791 of nephrotic syndrome (or rheumatic fever)

Emily Dickinson, poet, died 1886 of Bright’s disease

Sarah Bernhardt, actress, died 1923 of  kidney failure

Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild West show entertainer, died 1917 of kidney failure

Cole Porter, composer, died 1964 of kidney failure

Marlene Dietrich, actress, died 1992 of kidney failure

Edgar Bergen, ventriloquist, died 1978 of kidney diease

James A. Michener, author, died 1997 of kidney failure

Jean Harlow, actress, died 1937 of kidney failure and uremic poisoning

Julia Child, chef, died 2004 of kidney failure

Dexter Gordon, jazz musician, died 1990 of cancer and kidney failure

Oscar Peterson, jazz musician, died 2007 of kidney failure

Art Buchwald, columnist and writer, died 2007 of kidney failure and diabetes

Erma Bombeck, columnist and writer, died 1996 of PKD and transplant complications

Bobby Fischer, chess master, died 2008 of kidney failure

Barry White, singer, died 2003 of kidney failure

Billy Preston, singer, died 2006 of kidney failure

Manute Bol, basketball player, died 2010 of acute kidney failure

Gary Coleman, actor, died 2010 of FSGS

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DIARY OF A KIDNEY LOVER

Just a quick entry to say I’ve checked off one exciting thing from my life’s to-do list.  I finally visited one of those traveling anatomy exhibits showcasing real bodies and organs at the LA County Fair last weekend. I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw the poster at the entrance gates to the fair.  I had no idea something like that would be there.  Two of my friends made sickly noises – no way they were going – but Mom and I beamed as we bought our special tickets to “Our Body: The Universe Within”. We waited in a long line to get in, analyzing the reactions of people leaving the exhibit.  Young cool boys smiled. Older people and children looked pensive or bewildered.

It was pretty crowded inside and I must say, I was disappointed at the 20-somethings giggling and pointing at the bodies. What did they think they were going to see? But when I told my friend, the grade school teacher, she said, “Oh, don’t feel so bad.  They’re just laughing because they’re uncomfortable. They haven’t faced their mortality before.” And of course, she was right. Even with the somber lighting, there was a strange carnival atmosphere – life and death side by side, as they must be. There was music and cheering from the Selena Gomez concert outside, but I managed to focus after a while. I perused the muscles of the legs, the spinal column, the brain, the surprisingly large lungs and what looked like a coral reef of dried-out blood vessels surrounding them.  I found the kidneys mid-way through the show. It’s strange seeing lifeless organs that are meant to be filled with blood and activity.  They were miraculous nonetheless, and much smaller than I thought – even smaller than my tiny fist.

By that time, Mom was feeling queasy and it was time to go.  It was a fascinating show and I do recommend it, despite the jeering kids. (You can learn more about the exhibit here.) There were plenty of people interested in the science of it all, reverent as they stared at a lung shriveled by smoking or a liver damaged by alcohol abuse.  Perhaps some contemplated a lifestyle change…starting tomorrow.  Until then, they had things to check off their personal to-do lists. Chocolate-covered bacon and fried Snickers maybe. It was a day at the fair, after all.

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DIARY OF A KIDNEY LOVER

OK.  Time for a change.  After a very tasty Chinese dinner last week, I had one of the worst heart-burn episodes I have ever had (and I don’t even get heartburn).  I felt like I was going to die.  Thinking about it, I’m sure that yoga move my Mom told me to try didn’t help any.  There is a time and a place for yoga and this wasn’t it.

But here I am, alive and eager to turn over a new leaf, literally!  I am a vegetarian, so I wouldn’t say that I am really unhealthy, but I do need more balance in my diet, less stress, less sodium, less restaurant meals, more exercise – the usual healthy stuff.  And I should confess that I have had a few moderately high blood pressure readings at the doctor’s office.  I attributed these to “white-coat” hypertension – blood pressure that’s only high when you’re in the doctor’s office.  You can read more about that here. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/ignoring-white-coat-pressure-dangerous-102324989.html.  Although I really like medicine and enjoy talking to doctors if we’re talking about kidneys, I don’t like talking to doctors if I’m the patient.  The possibility of pain, illness, the reminder of the high cost of my health insurance, not to mention the cost of the visit – no wonder my blood pressure is a little high! The whole doctoring experience makes me nervous.  But I shouldn’t dismiss my previous readings, given what I know about high blood pressure and kidney disease.  Kidney filtration is driven by our blood pressure and higher BP “slams” the kidneys, forcing them to work much harder. It can cause permanent scarring and damage.

I’ll be making my doctor’s appointment very soon (still need to work up to that, but it’s on the task list for Monday) and in the meantime, I’ll be making changes to my diet. The DASH diet (“Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension”) – a healthier way of eating that’s safe for nearly everyone – has caught my eye lately. I’ve seen news articles all over the web and even in the research project pages on the UKRO site.  Check out this USA Today article for more info http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/food/diet-nutrition/2010-09-03-dash-heart_N.htm and this research project abstract if you’re feeling a bit more ambitious http://ukrocharity.org/research/john-mckay-fellowship-grant/yang-full-project-summary/. The first few paragraphs describing the connection between low blood pressure and an optimal diet of more potassium vs. sodium are particularly interesting to me.

I can’t wait to dig into the DASH book on my desk.  Once I’ve read the book (it’s quite short!), I’ll get out to the pharmacy for a few free blood pressure checks, and on to the farmer’s market for some leafy greens and other veggies, fruits, nuts.  Now that the weather’s fine, there’s nothing stopping me from adding daily walks to my kidney lover regimen. Then, it’s on to the doctor’s office.  I’ll let you know how it all goes.

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Welcome to the first of our Q & A sessions with Alan S. L. Yu, M.D.  Dr. Yu is a practicing nephrologist as well as a professor and scientist with a lab at USC Keck School of Medicine.  Visit  http://ukrocharity.org/about-ukro/medical-scientific-advisory-board/alan-s-l-yu-md/ for more information about Dr. Yu and his research.

Q: So we decided to start with a really simple question.  Can you tell me why we have two kidneys?

A: Actually that is a great question!

Having two kidneys is not essential for adult life. Adults who donate one kidney for transplantation, or who undergo unilateral nephrectomy for some reason, live a normal lifespan and have no increased risk of complications. Thus, we assume that the reason we have two kidneys is so that there is some extra reserve of kidney mass in case we sustain some renal insult (e.g. toxic injury, or traumatic injury).

Having said that, about 1 in 1000 individuals are born with one kidney (unilateral renal agenesis). The limited data available suggest that these individuals have an increased risk of hypertension, proteinuria and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in later life. Whether this is because of the reduced renal mass since birth, or because of some other factor is unclear.

Q: Why exactly is the kidney mass important?

A: The kidney is made up of nephrons, whose job is to filter, secrete and reabsorb solutes and water. More kidney mass = more nephrons.

So there you have it. If you have any questions or comments regarding this Q & A, please post them on our blog or on Facebook and we will get them answered. Special thanks to my friend Karen for suggesting this first question! And if you have a new question you’d like answered, just ask.  We can’t dispense medical advice, but we can certainly enlighten you on the workings of the kidney and kidney disease.

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