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Knowing your genetic risk of Chronic Kidney Disease may alert you to prevention before symptoms arise.

deCODEme uses the best science available to provide you with a personalized genetic risk assessment for Chronic Kidney Disease.

Knowledge is power – deCODEme selects the best scientific knowledge on the genetics of Chronic Kidney Disease and makes it personal and powerful, for you

Ongoing research in Chronic Kidney Disease

In addition to the exciting new developments in research on the genetics of Chronic Kidney Disease, such as those included in the deCODEme complete scan, there are also many other developments in research on Chronic Kidney Disease. In terms of new treatments, trials are underway to determine if intensified and shortened dialysis regimens, are viable alternatives for dialysis patients that can increase their quality of life and more control over their lifestyle (see more here). Also, breakthroughs in kidney transplantation continue to be made.

Ongoing intervention trials of new treatments for Chronic Kidney Disease will determine whether experimental treatments or new ways of using known therapies are safe and effective under controlled environments. You can find out more about federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the United States and around the world here.

Knowledge is power – the key to prevention is using the power of knowledge

New knowledge, whether on the genetic underpinnings of Chronic Kidney Disease, or new treatment options, allows people to take steps to reduce their risk of developing Chronic Kidney Disease, and for those already diagnosed, can make living with Chronic Kidney Disease disease much easier today than ever before. More is now known about the causes of the disease, about its risk factors and how lifestyle changes can protect kidney function and prevent progression of the disease.

Chronic Kidney Disease through the ages

Genetic science and new technologies for treatment are recent developments. It is interesting to review a historical timeline of kidney disease and its treatments to realize how far medicine and science has come in battling kidney disease, mostly in the last 100 years.

Did Mozart die of Kidney Disease?

The famous Austrian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (born in 1756), had a short but prolific career before he died on December 5th, 1791, only 35 years old. The circumstances of his death have long been a matter of speculation among musical historians and medical scientists alike.Theories on the cause of his premature death range from infections and head trauma to poisoning and even murder.

According to various reliable sources, Mozart fell seriously ill in September of the year of his death. In spite of his illness, he was initially able to continue working, and conducted the premiere of his famous Opera, The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte), in Vienna on September 30th, 1791. His illness gradually intensified and in late November Mozart became bedridden, suffering from severe symptoms such as swelling, pain, and vomiting, seen in the advanced stages of Chronic Kidney Disease. Mozart died in Vienna on December 5th, 1791.

According to an article by Dr. E.N. Guillery, published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology in 1992, kidney failure is indeed one of many theories of Mozart´s terminal illness. In a letter by Mozart´s sister-in-law, who was present during the illness leading to his death, she described that Mozart was unable to turn in bed on account of his swollen condition and that he described having “already the taste of death” on his tongue. This, according to Dr. Guillery, may have been the foul taste of uremia, or the buildup of waste in the blood due to kidney failure. Dr. Guillery´s conclusion however, is that unless further information comes to light, the cause of Mozart´s death will remain a mystery.

More information

You can learn more about Chronic Kidney Disease by talking to your health care provider and visiting these websites:

• African Americans and Kidney Disease Fact Sheet – from the National Kidney Disease Education Program
• About Chronic Kidney Disease from the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
• American Association of Kidney Patients
• Genetics and Kidney Disease
• The Kidneys and How They Work from the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
• National Kidney Foundation
• Nature article on the Genetics of Kidney Disease
• National Kidney Disease Education Program
• Search for Clinical Trials
• Test your Kidney IQ – from the National Kidney Foundation

Scientific References

1. Coresh J, Selvin E, Stevens LA, et al. Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). 2007 Nov 7;298(17):2038-47.
2. Köttgen A, Glazer NL, Dehghan A, et al. Multiple loci associated with indices of renal function and chronic kidney disease. Nature Genetics. 2009 May 10. [Epub ahead of print]
3. Zhang QL, Rothenbacher D. Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in population-based studies: systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2008 Apr 11;8:117.

This content was last reviewed on February 09, 2010.

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