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  • Article
    Randomized Controlled Trials in Europe: A Call to Action to Protect National Healthcare Systems from the Upcoming Tsunami of Kidney Failure
    (Oxford University Press, 2026) Ortiz, Alberto; Arici, Mustafa; Goumenos, Dimitrios S.; Adamczak, Marcin; Eller, Kathrin; Ferreira, Ana Carina; Torra, Roser
    Kidney diseases are among the fastest-growing global health burdens, with chronic kidney disease projected to become the third leading cause of death by 2050. Despite this, therapeutic innovation remains limited: no European Medicines Agency-approved treatment exists for acute kidney injury, and no drugs have demonstrated survival benefits in patients on dialysis. Randomized controlled clinical trials, although pivotal for advancing care, face persistent challenges in nephrology, including patient heterogeneity, multimorbidity, high dropout rates and small populations in rare diseases. In Europe, these intrinsic obstacles are compounded by fragmented implementation of the Clinical Trials Regulation (536/2014), excessive safety reporting demands and lack of nephrology-specific guidance, discouraging academic-led initiatives and limiting pragmatic research. The Coalition for Reducing Bureaucracy in Clinical Trials, a broad alliance of medical societies and patient advocates, has recently published the 'Clinical research in Europe: putting quality and patient safety first' recommendations calling for regulatory harmonization, simplified safety reporting and patient-centred consent. The European Renal Association, a member of the Coalition and contributor to the report, fully supports these recommendations. Implementing such measures is critical to fostering efficient, high-quality nephrology trials in Europe and delivering urgently needed, evidence-based, life-saving and safe therapies for patients with kidney disease.
  • Article
    Glycaemic Control and Complications in Haemodialysis Patients: The TURK-HEMODIAB Study
    (Oxford University Press, 2026) Gungor, Ozkan; Korucu, Berfu; Oguz, Ebru Gok; Eren, Necmi; Ural, Zeynep; Dheir, Hamad; Arici, Mustafa
    Background The most common cause of end-stage kidney disease is diabetes mellitus (DM). The most commonly used renal replacement therapy in Turkey and in many countries around the world is haemodialysis (HD). Glycaemia control is important in these populations. In this study we aimed to screen for glycaemic control and complications in a large population of diabetic HD patients in Turkey. Methods A total of 16 043 patients were screened in 253 dialysis centres in Turkey and 5038 diabetic HD patients were included in the study. At participating centres, patients' diabetes history, complications, medications, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and other laboratory data were reviewed and recorded by nephrologists. Results The average age of the patients was 64.0 +/- 11.2 years and 56% were male. The mean HbA1c was 7.4 +/- 1.5%. Patients were divided into three groups according to the HbA1c level (<6.5%, 6.5-8% and >8%). As the HbA1c levels increased, the mean systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure increased significantly. In addition, as the HbA1c levels increased, the number of patients with coronary artery disease, patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery and the rate of patients with diabetic retinopathy and vision loss increased. Diabetic foot disease and amputation rates were also higher in the group with poor glycaemic control. The number of patients using intensive or mixed insulin was also higher in the group with high HbA1c levels. In ordinal logistic regression analysis, age significantly decreased and higher body mass index slightly increased the risk of a higher HbA1c. Also, the need for a diabetic diet was greater in those with high HbA1c levels. Conclusion Our study highlights that the target values for diabetic HD patients in Turkey are partially compatible with the 2022 Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes guidelines for diabetes management. Nevertheless, more effort and teamwork are needed to improve patient outcomes.