dialysis news stories on Newser

US Dialysis System a Costly Horror

Kevin Spak — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 13:01:41 CST

America’s Medicare dialysis program, once seen as a triumph for the masses, has become a “hulking monster,” writes Robin Fields in an exhaustive ProPublica investigation. Since 1972, treatment has been provided, through Medicare, for virtually anyone with kidney failure, regardless of age or income. Today, the US spends $20 billion...

30 Rock 's Grizz Needs New Kidney

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:29:20 CST

Grizzwald Chapman, better known as Grizz on 30 Rock , needs a kidney transplant. The 378-pound actor discussed his health on The Dr. Oz Show , Popeater reports, telling the celebrity doc that his hypertension requires him to be on dialysis—and that he must lose at least 75 pounds before being...

Natalie Cole: 'I Need a Kidney'

Rob Quinn — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:18:27 CDT

Natalie Cole told CNN's Larry King last night that she needed a kidney—and had dozens of offers flood in before the show was through. "There are some great human beings out there. That's all I can say," said the singer, who has been on dialysis three days a week...

Live Kidney Donors Should Be Encouraged, Not Doubted

Katherine Thompson — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:20:20 CDT

When Frances Kissling learned she needed a kidney transplant, she took a step most people in her situation never do: She asked dozens of friends and colleagues if they would be willing to donate. "I was bowled over by how people responded," the Catholic feminist activist writes for Salon—she...

Horse Whisperer Writer Poisoned by Mushrooms

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:24:25 CDT

The author of the best-selling novel The Horse Whisperer is recovering in a hospital after eating poisonous mushrooms he and his family picked during a holiday in Scotland, his agent said yesterday. Nicholas Evans, his wife, her sister and the sister's husband received dialysis treatment because the mushrooms included the...

Racial 'Transplant Gap' Persists

Matt Cantor — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:46:54 CDT

Financial struggles and difficulty finding donors—as well as an unclear “transplant gap”—make African Americans less likely to get kidney transplants than whites, the Chicago Tribune reports. Many remain on dialysis, making daily life harder and increasing the risk of death. “You can explain most of the discrepancy, but...

Ailing bin Laden Mere Months From Death?

Peter Fearon — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:11:53 CDT

Terror leader Osama bin Laden is dying from kidney disease, according to a CIA analysis of the medications he has been taking, reports Time .The world's most wanted terrorist likely has no more than 12 months to live, and may already be teetering on the brink of death, according to...