Patient was educated on measures to plan for renal diet recommendation as follows:
- Watch on fluid intake: Poorly functioning kidneys cannot effectively excrete fluid from the body, which can result in back-up of fluid. Increased back-up of fluid in the circulation and tissues can result in increased workload on the heart, poorly controlled hypertension, edema, and weight gain. Fluid intake limitation could be recommended to these individuals and this limitation could be different from patient to patient, typically based on the individual status of renal function. Observe compliance with the recommendation made on fluid intake, to prevent increased workload on the heart and better control of blood pressure numbers. This limitation can also help with better management of edema and prevent acute weight gain.
- Watch on phosphorus intake: Kidneys help in the synthesis of vitamin D in the body, which helps in the normal absorption of calcium from the diet. Calcium absorbed into the blood is deposited in the bones, which can help with strengthening the bones. Poorly functioning kidneys cannot synthesize the vitamin D needed for calcium absorption and so, can lead to poor calcium deposition in the bones, thus weakening the bones. Normally, phosphorus in the diet competes with calcium for absorption and in patients with poor calcium absorption, phosphorus is increasingly absorbed and deposited into the bones in place of calcium. This can weaken the bones further resulting in osteoporosis and easy fractures. Phosphorus intake is limited in renal failure patients, to prevent this overwhelming absorption and deposition into the bones in place of calcium and development of osteoporosis & fractures.
