Latest southern Colorado news, weather and sports from FOX21 News

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- New research out of Harvard University could have kidney dialysis patients looking to move to higher ground.

The study says dialysis patients living at an altitude higher than 4,000 feet have a 12 to 15 percent lower rate of death.

It found that patients with end-stage kidney or renal disease living at higher altitude achieved greater hemoglobin concentrations while receiving lower doses of a hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells.

Researchers looked at more than 800,000 patients with end-stage renal disease who initiated dialysis between 1995 and 2004.

Of those 15 percent benefited from living at a higher altitude.

"I went in thinking this is just going to be a routine appointment, and Dr. Flaxenburg told me at that visit that my kidneys were only functioning at 10% and I would need at kidney transplant," Linda Carnell said.

That was two years ago, since then Carnell has been on dialysis. Three, four hour treatments per week.

Carnell has no choice, she has to undergo dialysis until a compatible kidney becomes available for transplant.

"A lot of it depends on the time you have been on the list, and basically it starts out with blood type, you have to have a compatible blood type," Carnell said.

Now though Carnell may have more time to wait because she lives here in Colorado Springs at just over 6,000 feet.

"I believe that it has to do with the fact that there is less oxygen in the air here than at sea level, and the body undergoes a multitude of things to compensate for that, and which one helps with mortality is the real question," Dr. Jesse Flaxenburg said.

Dr. Flaxenburg said Colorado Springs is positioned to help with the study. He said the findings could make a huge difference in the lives of dialysis patients.

"The average survival, at least in this study, found that someone who is to start dialysis today lets say at sea level would survive on average three years, at our elevation those patients are surviving about four years, so it is not a huge difference, but still a major finding in this study," Dr. Flaxenburg said.

Pikes Peak Nephrology will host a free kidney screening day March 14th at Pulpit Rock Church from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.