Vital warning from experts to dialysis patients

According to a statement from the Turkish Kidney Foundation, increased fruit and vegetable consumption by hemodialysis patients, especially in the summer months, can lead to dangerous conditions such as heart rhythm disturbances, shortness of breath, muscle weakness and cardiac arrest.

Timur Erk, President of the Turkish Kidney Foundation, stated that they continue their preventive medicine activities without interruption in order to prevent possible problems and noted that they have been working for 40 years to ensure that chronic kidney disease patients receive the best service under all conditions.

Erk, who noted that they continue to provide information activities under all conditions and circumstances for the sake of public health by targeting patients, relatives and all stakeholders who provide care to patients in the society, while being particularly sensitive to these issues in the 3 dialysis centers within the foundation, said, "Seasonal transitions affect everyone, whether they are sick or not. In such times, we prioritize preventive medicine activities and informative studies and open up a wide area on how to protect kidney health in our social media posts. It is extremely important for us that hemodialysis patients in the last stage of chronic kidney disease have good physical and mental health, including blood values. We become a family over time, and sometimes we see our patients more than our family members. For this reason, we aim to raise awareness of our patients about environmental effects and all processes, including seasonal transitions, and to ensure that they are healthy."

Stating that patients should follow a nutrition plan that is appropriate for the season and will keep their blood values ​​balanced, in cooperation with a doctor and dietitian, Turkish Kidney Foundation Dietitian Gökçen Efe Aydın also emphasized that the potassium, phosphorus and albumin values ​​in the blood of hemodialysis patients are directly related to nutrition.

"Excessive consumption of fruits and vegetables can lead to life-threatening consequences"

Dietician Aydın warned, "Eating habits brought about by seasonal changes directly affect these values. For example, increased fruit and vegetable consumption in the summer months can cause blood potassium levels to increase. Excessive consumption of yellow-orange fruits and greens, especially melons, apricots, peaches, nectarines, can lead to some results that will endanger vitality. For this reason, seasonal transitions are the times when blood values ​​are most problematic. Especially the decrease in appetite in the summer and the increase in protein consumption in the winter also affect blood values. Hemodialysis patients need to be extremely knowledgeable about nutrition."

Pointing out the importance of water consumption in hemodialysis patients, Aydın said, "Water consumption varies seasonally, especially for hemodialysis patients with no or reduced urine output. The increase in temperatures and, indirectly, the amount of sweating in the summer months also causes an increase in water needs. More fluid is usually consumed than needed and dialysis patients enter dialysis with more weight than they should between two dialysis sessions. This can lead to serious complications such as edema, high blood pressure and heart problems in the body. In the winter months, water consumption should be more controlled, but sufficient fluid intake should still be ensured. It is much easier for patients to adjust their water consumption in the winter compared to the summer."