Why Some Patients Reduce Weight Drastically on Dialysis

2014-03-26 03:58

Question: Mother is CKD on Dialysis since 5 Months, but since last 2 months her weight is reduced drastically from 46 to 36, why? Please help.

Answer: Dialysis is a life-sustaining way for Kidney Failure Patients, but it has many side effects, one of which is to make patients nausea and vomiting. So you should pay attention to the following factors as low blood pressure, infection, allergic reaction, dialysis disequilibrium, inadequate dialysis, anemia and the medication. They are also the causes of nausea and vomiting. This side effect can affect the patients’appetite. Poor appetite may contribute to weight loss.

Besides, almost kidney patients have restricted diet. If patients are not eating enough protein and energy-providing food, they are prone to suffer from malnutrition and weight loss. Because dialysis can take away part of protein from the blood, it is recommended to eat 1.2 g/kg per day for dialysis patients. In order not to increase the burden on kidneys, she can eat such high quality protein as lean meat, fish, egg white, etc.

Now the important thing to do is to maintain a healthy weight. In such case, besides protein, your mother should also increase calory intake. Food, such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, apples, lotus root starch are all recommended. Moderate exercise is OK for dialysis patients, for it has many health benefits. Improving appetite is one of them. But you should talk with your doctor to decide the type of exercise, frequency, duration and intension for your mother. If you can send your mother’medical report to pkdtreatment169@gmail.com, we can give you a personalized suggestion. There are also some other therapies which can improve kidney function so that your mother can get rid of dialysis and its side effects. If you are interested, you can also contact us.

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