DAVIS,
Calif., /PRNewswire/ -- The International Renal
Interest Society (IRIS), a veterinary society established to
advance the scientific understanding of kidney disease in small
animals, announced today the creation of the IRIS Napa Meeting.
This reoccurring meeting is a new strategic planning initiative to
be held in theNapa Valley,
California, as emerging critical issues in veterinary
nephrology arise. This groundbreaking think-tank style summit will
host globally renowned authorities in nephrology and provide
problem recognition and innovative solutions to topical and complex
issues affecting kidney health in dogs and cats. The inaugural
meeting, held in May
2015, focused on recognition of early (subclinical) kidney
disease and its role in progressive kidney injury. Financial
and logistical support for the inaugural Napa Meeting was
graciously provided by IDEXX,Westbrook,
Maine.
"Formation of the IRIS Napa Meeting provides
an important leadership role for IRIS and groundbreaking
opportunities for the nephrology community," said
Dr. Larry
Cowgill, IRIS Napa Meeting co-chair.
The
evolving opportunities of novel renal biomarkers that permit
earlier recognition of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute
kidney injury (AKI) as well as their potentially interrelated
pathogenesis were the hallmark of the May meeting. Based on
preliminary evidence with a spectrum of novel kidney biomarkers, an
hypothesis emerged that progression of CKD may, in part, be
perpetuated by "active" and ongoing kidney injury that remains
undetected until structural losses of nephron mass is reflected in
traditional "static" diagnostic markers of kidney function. If
validated with future studies, this hypothesis could have a
defining influence on the future diagnosis and management of early
kidney disease.
"Napa Meetings are intended to facilitate focused discussions
that will lead to solutions to fundamental issues in veterinary
nephrology in a timely manner, thereby enabling veterinarians to
stay at the forefront of new medical breakthroughs," said
Dr. David
Polzin, IRIS Napa Meeting co-chair.
The
complementary role of symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), a
forthcoming kidney biomarker for the early detection of CKD, to
conventional diagnostics for kidney disease and its role in the
IRIS CKD Staging scheme were among the impactful issues discussed.
Subsequent to recommendations from the Napa Panel and following
further consideration at the 2015 IRIS Board Meeting, the following
interpretive comments for the diagnostic and therapeutic
utilization of SDMA were incorporated into the 2015 IRIS CKD
Staging Guidelines and are expected to be available as soon as
possible on the reconstructed IRIS website, www.iris-kidney.com.
"Serum
or plasma SDMA may be a more sensitive biomarker of renal function
compared with creatinine. A persistent elevation in SDMA above 14
µg/dl would indicate reduced renal function and be a reason to
categorize a dog or cat (with creatinine values <1.4 or <1.6
mg/dl, respectively) as IRIS CKD Stage 1."
"In
IRIS CKD Stage 2 patients with low body condition scores, if SDMA
is ≥25 µg/dl, this may indicate the extent of renal dysfunction has
been underestimated. Consider treatment recommendations listed
under IRIS CKD Stage 3 for this patient."
"In
IRIS CKD Stage 3 patients with low body condition scores, if SDMA
is ≥45 µg/dl, this may indicate the degree of renal dysfunction has
been underestimated. Consider treatment recommendations listed
under IRIS CKD Stage 4 for this patient."
These
additions to the guidelines are preliminary, based on early data
derived from the use of SDMA in veterinary patients. The IRIS
Board fully expects them to be updated as the veterinary profession
gains further experience using SDMA alongside the long-established
marker, creatinine, in the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of
canine and feline CKD.
Organizations or commercial entities with an interest in veterinary
nephrology are invited to consider supporting future IRIS Napa
Meetings with the goal of exploring new horizons and strategies in
nephrology creatively designed for the next 10 years and
beyond. For more information about IRIS, visit www.iris-kidney.com. Those
interested in sponsoring a future IRIS Napa meeting
should contact Dr. Larry
Cowgill at [email protected] or
Dr. David
Polzin at [email protected].
ABOUT
IRIS
IRIS
is the International Renal Interest Society and was organized
originally at the 8th Annual Congress of the European Society of
Veterinary Internal Medicine in Vienna,
Austria, in 1998, with the support of Novartis Animal
Health, which provided operational funding and organizational
assistance until December 2014. Current support for the
educational and scientific missions of IRIS is provided by Elanco
Animal Health, Greenfield,
IN.
IRIS
is composed of a board of 15 independent veterinarians with
particular expertise in veterinary nephrology, from 10 different
countries. The mission of IRIS is to help veterinary practitioners
better diagnose, understand, and treat kidney disease in cats and
dogs. In order to achieve this mission, the group investigates ways
to more accurately diagnose early signs of acute and chronic kidney
disease and provides consensus recommendations and explores novel
therapies for their management.
One of
the organization's primary objectives is to establish
internationally recognized guidelines on the diagnosis and
treatment of kidney diseases in dogs and cats. IRIS has been
a recognized leader for a variety of topics in the area of
nephrology and a source of direction veterinarians look to for the
diagnosis and management of kidney disease in animal
patients. IRIS is proud to add the Napa Meeting to its
portfolio of accomplishments for the advancement of the science and
understanding of kidney disease in animals.
CONTACTS:
Dr. Astrid van
Dongen
President, IRIS
[email protected]
Dr. Larry
Cowgill
Co-Chair 2015 IRIS Napa Meeting
[email protected]
Dr. David
Polzin
Co-Chair 2015 IRIS Napa Meeting
[email protected]
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