What Patients with Uremia(End-Stage Renal Failure) Should Eat

When kidney disease develops into Uremia, end-stage of renal failure, patients should be strict in the diet. On one hand, the protein and energy they take in should not add the burden of the damaged kidney. on the other hand, the food they take in should maintain the nitrogen balance, correct hypoproteinemia, anemia, promote the immunity. Therefore, proper diet plays an important role in treating Uremia, end-stage of renal failure. What patients with Uremia, end-stage of renal failure should pay attention to go as follows:

The principle that patients with Uremia, end-stage of renal failure should follow is that the food should be low in salt, phosphorus, potassium, saturated fatty acid, and rich in vitamin, which in a word is “five low and one high”.

How about the degree of the food?

Generally, it depends on whether patients are under dialysis or not. Some of them do not get to dialysis stage and the others are under dialysis. As for the former ones, they should accept the following aspects:

Low salt

Generally, the daily intake of salt should be 2-3g, including gourmet powder, which is rich in sodium, soda biscuit, fine dried noodles, deep-fried dough sticks. In addition, patients with severe edema should avoid salt, and keep salt below 1 g. when the urine increases and the edema disappears, they can increase the salt to 2-3g per day.

Low potassium

The metabolic disorder of potassium is common in patients with Uremia, end-stage of renal failure. It should be corrected in time or else, severe results such as heart damage will take place.

The principle is as follows:

If potassium in blood is high than normal, patients should limit the sylvite strictly, especially the oral Chinese medicine which contains much potassium. When the potassium in blood is normal, (dilution low potassium is not included), and the urine is more than 1000 ml per 24 hours, potassium is not necessary to control. If the potassium in blood increases, and the urine amount is less than 1000ml, we should limit the food rich in potassium.

Avoid food rich in phosphorus

Because GFR is decreased for patients with Uremia, end-stage of renal failure, the secretion of phosphorus declines. So patients are in high phosphorus. At the same time, because the absorption of calcium decreases, it also worsens the above-mentioned condition. Food rich in phosphorus is such as sea food, including plant and animals living in water, animal pluck, sesame, peanut, nut, honey, egg white, tea leaf, fried fruit, etc.

Low protein

Patients with Uremia, end-stage of renal failure should take in high quality low protein from milk, egg white, lean meat, etc. according to specific condition, patients should take in 50-100g lean meat per day or 2-3 egg white. Fresh milk should also depend on specific condition. Here, we should point out that the plant protein in bean product is called coarse protein, which contains less essential amino-acid. What’s more, after metabolism, bean product produces much more urea nitrogen. So

Bean product should be forbidden. The main principle for low protein supply is that the total amount should be less than 20-30, including plant protein in staple food.

Low fat

The energy that patients with Uremia, end-stage of renal failure need mainly is from sugar and fat. The change of fat can influence the development of kidney disease. some uremia patients, such as those with chronic nephritis(membranous nephropathy, serious mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, have high fat and even hypercholesterolemia. Especially for those with nephrotic syndrome, they have metabolic disturbance of cholesterol, excessive intake if oil and fat will worsen the renal arteriosclerosis.


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