More than 1 in 7 Americans live with chronic kidney disease (CKD). People with severe CKD often develop skeletal muscle fibrosis, in which skeletal muscles develop extensive scarring. Muscle fibrosis can lead to loss of muscle function and, ultimately, to immobility and disability.

Matthew Abramowitz, M.D., M.S., has received a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to see if kidney dialysis can help reverse muscle fibrosis. Due to side effects such as infection and low blood pressure, dialysis is typically delayed until symptoms of kidney failure develop. Dr. Abramowitz will follow patients after they start dialysis and evaluate whether it can prevent physical decline in CKD patients with skeletal muscle fibrosis. To assess the effectiveness of dialysis, he and his colleagues will measure muscle strength and endurance and analyze skeletal muscle using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging, proteomic studies, and other techniques.

Dr. Abramowitz is associate professor of medicine at Einstein and a nephrologist at Montefiore. (1R01AR077042-01A1)