Andrew Kowalski

Andrew Kowalski, MD, FASN If you're living with kidney disease, you most likely have been told, and likely know that blood pressure control is not just important. .. it 's essential . High blood pressure is both a cause and consequence of kidney damage , creating a vicious cycle that can accelerate disease progression. But what if I told you that some of the most important factors affecting your blood pressure have nothing to do with the usual suspects like salt intake or stress levels? Did...

Andrew Kowalski, MD, FASN Here’s the “kidney labs 101”  that we all wish every inbox message came pre-loaded with. When providers order basic metabolic panels, they’re typically looking at a few different electrolytes, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and the derived estimated glomerular filtration rate, that gets calculated from creatinine (and sometimes Cystatin C, another marker not related to muscle mass). While these seem straightforward on the surface, they’re routinely...

Andrew Kowalski, MD, FASN Within the world of CKD, physicians and patients often focus on basic CKD complications such as complications with diabetes, difficult to control hypertension and an elevated risk in cardiovascular disease. However, one of the most impactful and most difficult to discuss is sexual and reproductive health. As I have written before, CKD is a condition that influences and affects multiple systems and this area of health and wellness is not immune to the dysregulation...