Clinical Services

Overview
The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Georgetown University Medical Center conducts  Research Clinics under the direction of Christopher Wilcox, MD, PhD, Francisco Llach  and Vasilios Papademetriou, MD.

Why Is an Academic Clinic Better than Private?
As an academic clinic, we are participating in many clinical research programs that test antihypertensive medications, new vitamin D analogs for the treatments of osteoporosis and Renal Bone Disease and  new phospahte binders. We also conduct an FDA-sponsored study testing high-dose folic acid therapy in hemodialysis patients with hyperhomocysteinemia. In addition, a study is being performed using a new vitamin D analog to treat Hyperparathyroid Bone Disease. This study test the hypotheses that this new vitamin D compound can control hyperparathyroidism without inducing hypercalcemia and/or hyperphosphatemia.  The clinic is a main site for the Trial of Prevention of Hypertension (TROPHY) study. This study tests the hypotheses that blocking the AT-1 receptor reduces the hemodynamic and neuroendocrine factors that contribute to the abnormalities of cardiovascular structure and function, and affect selected metabolic features of the insulin resistance syndrome. Finally, among patients with Chronic Renal Failure, the use of Calcium containing binders may by increasing oral Calcium may lead to an increased in cardiac mortality. The Clinical Research clinic is commencing a large epidemiological studies to assess the effect of Calcium intake vs. a lower Calcium ingestion in the morbidity and mortality of renal patients. 

Why Choose the GU Clinic over other Universities?
The GU Hypertension Research Clinic undertake blood pressure screening and patient education. The clinic provides a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring service and performs Captopril-renin challenge tests. The Renal Bone Disease Clinic provide with a full assessment of the type of Renal Bone Disease in Renal patients by doing histomorphometric Bone studies in Bone biopsies performed in these patients. The Bone biopsy are performed in the Research Clinic. The Diabetic Renal disease clinic provide early follow-up to diabetic patients with renal disease emphasizing the advantages of preventive new  therapies. 
 
Outpatient clinics
The division's outpatient clinics have been reorganized to provide specialized clinics in hypertension, diabetic nephropathy, hereditary renal disease, end-stage renal disease and glomerulonephritis. Currently, nephrology faculty see an average of 65 clinic patients each week at Georgetown and 30 at Arlington. The inpatient consultation service sees an average of 15 patients daily at Georgetown and 7 at Arlington. Thomas Rakowski, MD directs the Georgetown Nephrology Clinical Care and Education program at Arlington Hospital and adjacent dialysis units.