Acute Kidney Injuries Have More Than Doubled Since 2000.

USA Today  (12/7, Weintraub) reports, "Acute kidney injuries have more than doubled since 2000, causing nearly 39,000 deaths in 2009 alone," according to a study published Dec. 6 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Researchers came to this conclusion after reviewing "1.9 million US hospitalizations due to acute kidney injuries. Only the most serious injuries, which required patients to go on dialysis, were counted." The study authors are not sure what is behind the increase in acute kidney injuries. Currently, "there are no drugs to reduce the incidence or severity of acute kidney injuries, though several are under development, says Bruce Molitoris, president of the American Society of Nephrology."