Introduction: Cross-Talk Between the Kidneys and Remote Organ Systems in AKI

Cross-talk between the kidneys and the heart has long been appreciated. The kidneys are referred to in the Talmud —the central text of Judaism, written during approximately the 4th century AD—as the organs that “give the heart advice and counsel.”1 During the Middle Ages, the Italian physician Gentile da Foligno referred to heart disease as one of the major conditions that affected the color and output of urine.2 In the 19th century the English physician, Richard Bright, observed that cardiac hypertrophy was a common disorder in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Source: Seminars in Nephrology - December 31, 2018 Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: David E. Leaf Source Type: research