Patients with chronic kidney disease could slow the progression of their illness and delay dialysis through nutrition therapy. According to Reuters, authors explained in a review of the evidence for nutrition therapy, obstacles to getting it and possible solutions for a host of reasons that only 10 percent of non-dialysis kidney disease patients in the US ever meet with a dietician.
Lead author Dr. Holly Mattix-Kramer of Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago said: “Kidney disease is increasing with the obesity epidemic and aging population, and it’s one of the most expensive diseases, even if the patient isn’t yet on dialysis.”
Kidney disease is already more expensive to treat than other chronic conditions, such as stroke, the authors write. But when it reaches advanced stages, costs double.
“It’s important to find ways to prevent the disease from developing, or if someone has it, to slow their progression to going on dialysis. Nutrition therapy is not a panacea, but it can help,” Mattix-Kramer told Reuters Health by phone.
Researchers found that for people with kidney disease, decreasing intake of protein, phosphorous additives and salt can slow the progression of the disease. Due to risks of malnutrition and high potassium levels, however, patients should work with a dietitian to strike a careful balance, they warned.
Mattix-Kramer said: “Kidney disease should be viewed as a nutritional disorder, but unfortunately, it’s not often seen that way. We believe the majority of people - physicians and patients alike - don’t realize the benefits.”
Dr. Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh of the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, who wasn’t involved in the review, said: “We need to do what cancer doctors do. We may not be able to cure kidney disease, but we can control it.”
