Dialysis and your heart: how to keep it healthy.
When we have kidney failure, the focus is often on our dialysis treatment. However, the most common cause of death in kidney patients is heart failure.
This is because dialysis patients often suffer from other health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or problems with calcium and phosphate levels.
These and other conditions force the heart to work harder, which can lead to thickening of the vessels and an enlarged heart. In time, the heart can lose its ability to pump blood effectively around the body.
Can you do anything to protect your heart?
Fortunately, the answer is yes!
Managing your general health and lifestyle is even more important as a dialysis patient. Prevention is always better than cure so here are a few tips to help you to keep your heart healthy:
- If you have diabetes, keep your blood sugar under control
- Maintain a healthy weight
- If you are a smoker, stop
- Take regular exercise – aim for thirty minutes a day
- Avoid stress
- Keep your phosphate levels within safe guidelines
- Watch your blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- Stick to your fluid restriction and limit your salt intake.
Anaemia (where the body does not produce enough red blood cells) is another common problem among dialysis patients. This can also contribute to heart disease.
You may be given an erythropoietin (EPO) injection on dialysis or an iron infusion to keep your haemoglobin and ferritin levels within healthy parameters.
Although dialysis patients often have to follow a restrictive diet, foods rich in omega-3 acids is beneficial for heart health.
It’s not all doom and gloom though! Healthier eating habits, taking regular exercise and lowering stress levels have a positive effect on your mental health.
Being compliant with your medications and following the advice from your renal team will help you to live as healthy a life as possible. More patients are living longer, fuller lives on dialysis than ever before.
Nikki
Last Reviewed on 28 April 2024