Literature-related discovery and innovation: Chronic kidney disease

There were two major types of advances made in this study: information technology and medical. The major information technology advance was development of a query to identify the full-spectrum of foundational causes for CKD, and substantially upgrading a query used previously to identify the full spectrum of treatments. The major medical advance was identification of over 900 potential CKD direct and indirect foundational causes that encompass discovery and innovation, along with over 900 CKD direct and indirect treatments that encompass discovery and innovation. The foundational causes were comprised of environmental and occupational exposures, biotoxins, iatrogenic, and lifestyle factors. The myriad treatments ranged from foods, food extracts, drugs, biological, biophysical, and lifestyle changes. A limitation of the LRDI method is that the magnitude of these associations cannot be determined. Nonetheless, after prioritizing potentially relevant factors, eliminating as many upstream or foundational causes as possible may provide benefits to patients with CKD beyond the current emphasis on downstream pharmacologic approaches.