How Much Do You Know about Dialysis?
The kidney's main job is to get rid of extra fluid and waste material in your blood. Kidneys harmed by disease, injury, or birth defects lose their filtering ability. This lets dangerous levels of fluid and waste build up. This is known as kidney or renal failure (end-stage renal disease). A person with kidney failure needs dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive. Learn more about dialysis by taking this quiz. It is based on information from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
6. Which dietary mineral must be limited for a person on hemodialysis?
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Kidneys keep minerals in balance by working at it nonstop. When you have dialysis to restore this balance, you must limit the amounts of some minerals. Potassium in the right amount keeps the heart beating at a steady rate. Potassium levels can rise between dialysis treatments and affect the heartbeat. Having too much potassium in your diet can be dangerous, even fatal. This mineral is found in salt substitutes, bananas, oranges, many vegetables, chocolate, and nuts. You must also limit salt (sodium). This is found in many canned, frozen, and prepared foods. Too much sodium can make you thirsty. But if you drink more fluid, your heart has to work harder to pump the fluid through your body. Phosphorus is a mineral found in many foods. It can pull calcium from your bones if too much of it is in your blood. Losing calcium will weaken your bones. This will make them more likely to break. Too much phosphorus also can make your skin itch.
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