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Nutrition In Dialysis

To understand the nutritional needs the individual with kidney failure or ESRD is necessary to understand some of the basic functions of the kidney. The kidneys secrete many hormones that act to regulate body processes. A hormone is released via kidney to help the body regulate water homeostasis, rid the body of waste created by protein metabolism, control blood pressure, stimulate red blood cell production, and maintain calcium-phosphorus homeostasis. So as you can see if the kidneys fail there are many processes in the body that are affected. Dialysis works well but all that is necessary to help can not be accomplished by the dialysis treatment alone. Drugs are taken, water intake is restricted and the individual with kidney failure must also follow special diet guidelines.

According to Krause’s text book “Food, Nutrition & Diet Therapy the goals of nutritional care in the management of ESRD are

1. To prevent deficiency and maintain good nutritional status (growth, in the case of children) through adequate protein, energy, vitgamin, and mineral intake.
2. To control edema and electrolyte imbalance by controlling sodium, potassium, and fluid intake.
3. To prevent or retard the development of renal osteodystrophy by contolling calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D intake.
4. To enable patients to eat a palatable attractive diet that fits his or her lifestyle as much as possible.

Diet and fluid intake are modified through assessing the blood chemistry of the patient and assessing the patient for the presence of swelling. Generally fluid is restricted to 1500 ml per day.

Potassium may be restricted. Potassium is found most high-protein food, fruits and vegetables. At the same time that potassium is being avoided the renal patient must be getting adequate amounts of protein. It may get to be a real balancing act. In the dialysis centers blood samples are taken every week. The blood is then evaluated the results give the doctors, nurses and nutritionist the information necessary to guide the patient in both medicine needs and nutritional needs.