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Diet is often an important part of the treatment for kidney disease.
The kidneys remove waste products from the body in the urine they
excrete.These waste products are affected by foods that are eaten.
Patients who have kidney failure may be required to avoid or limit
certain foods and drinks.
Dietitian work with patients who have kidney problems to keep them
in the best nutritional status possible, by making sure they are
eating well at all times.
Who we provide a service to
The renal dietitians at Addenbrooke's provide services to the following
people:
-
nephrology and pre-dialysis patients
-
patients in the haemodialysis Unit or who have home haemodialysis
-
those who have peritoneal dialysis (PD)
-
kidney transplant
patients
Education
The renal dietitians at Addenbrooke's provide education to the
following groups:
-
ongoing nutrition education to healthcare professionals
-
continuing professional development of renal dietitians
-
participation as members of the British Dietetic Association
(BDA) Renal Nutrition Group and the East Anglian Renal Dietitians
Interest Group (EARDIG).
-
training of student dieticians in renal dietetics.
Why we provide a service
-
patients who are having dialysis are at a greater risk of malnutrition.
During the pre-dialysis and dialysis periods, a patient can
experience a poor appetite. Malnutrition in patients starting
dialysis is a strong indicator of poor clinical outcome.
-
the renal dietitian works to reduce or remove the risk of malnutrition,
which can contribute to a reduced length of stay in hospital,
reduced frequency of admissions, reduced infection rates and
a reduced need for the use of special dietary products.
-
as the kidneys lose their ability to filter waste, high phosphate
and calcium levels can result in bone complications over time.
Nutrition intervention, in conjunction with medication, can
help control serum phosphate and calcium levels.
-
renal diets are very complex and require a lot of motivation
and patient education to maintain the quality of life and current
lifestyle practices. An experienced renal dietitian is required
for the development of effective patient information.
-
renal dietitians are well placed to provide nutrition counselling
to patients. Patient who have chronic renal failure are often
long-term patients, and regular liaison with a renal dietitian
provides good continuity of care. When the dietitian works as
part of the multidisciplinary team, this enables referrals to
be made to other professionals (eg doctors, nurses, social workers
and counsellors) who are involved with other aspects of patient
care in order to achieve nutritional requirements.
-
patients have a tendency to gain weight after a kidney transplant
and, therefore, regular monitoring of their body weight at subsequent
clinic appointments is important.
Also on this website:
Renal Services (nephrology)
For further information contact: The Department of Nutrition & Dietetics,
Box 119, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ; Tel: 01223 216
655; Fax: 01223 216 824 |
