[Health Lecture] How do kidney patients on dialysis spend the winter?

As the winter cold wave arrives, the temperature drops and viral infections become more prevalent, what special impacts and challenges will this have on dialysis patients?

1. Keep warm and protect against cold

When going out, add or remove clothes according to the temperature. Pay attention to keeping warm in winter, especially the head, neck, feet, waist, knees and other parts.

Clothes are thicker in winter, so try to choose loose and easy-to-take clothes. For example, patients with kidney fistulas should choose clothes with loose sleeves to avoid fistula occlusion caused by too tight cuffs. Patients with kidney catheters should choose clothes with loose collars to avoid the catheter coming out due to traction caused by taking off clothes.

Move slowly when putting on or taking off heavy clothes, and wear non-slip shoes to prevent yourself from slipping and falling.

The indoor temperature should not be too high. If the difference is too large, it may cause constriction of large blood vessels and induce plaque shedding.

Try to avoid going to crowded places, wear a mask when traveling, and ventilate the room. Respiratory infectious diseases will increase in winter.

It is easy to make calculation errors when adding or removing clothes due to the change of seasons. To calculate accurately, check whether there is edema in the feet regularly, whether there is chest tightness when lying down before dialysis, whether there are symptoms such as shortness of breath easily, and actively communicate with the dialysis room staff about dry weight or adjust antihypertensive medications.

2. Ensure nutrition

Kidney patients should ensure they consume high-quality protein, such as eggs, fish, lean meat, dairy products, etc.

Control salt, also low sodium, use a salt spoon with a scale, eat less pickled foods, use less soy sauce when cooking, eat a light diet and avoid irritating flavors, so as to avoid thirst and drinking too much water causing high blood pressure and edema.

Too high potassium levels can lead to weakness in the limbs, numbness in the mouth and tongue, irregular heartbeat, and even cardiac arrest, so do not eat too much fruit, especially brightly colored fruits such as strawberries, cherries, and citrus fruits. Pay attention to your own potassium index, use potassium-lowering drugs on time, and complete dialysis on time.

Control fat. Long-term blood circulation is often accompanied by fat metabolism disorders. The intake of fat and cholesterol should be limited to prevent the aggravation of lipid and arteriosclerosis. Therefore, it is recommended that kidney patients mainly eat vegetable oils, such as corn oil with unsaturated fatty acids.

Phosphorus control: Kidney disease causes kidney patients to be unable to excrete phosphorus. Long-term high phosphorus intake leads to renal osteodystrophy, soft tissue calcification, skin itching, etc. Foods with high phosphorus content, such as soybeans, mushrooms, seaweed, and animal offal, should not be eaten too much. At the same time, phosphorus-lowering drugs should be taken on time and in the prescribed amount.

3. Exercise moderately and get enough rest

You can exercise at home, do appropriate housework, climb stairs, and moderate exercise can improve your mood.

Outdoors, you can choose to walk slowly, do Tai Chi, Ba Duan Jin and other slow-movement exercises in the community or park.

Pay attention to monitoring your heart rate and blood pressure during exercise. If you feel tired or dizzy, stop exercising immediately. If you still feel unwell, seek medical attention immediately.

Kidney patients should reduce staying up late, ensure adequate sleep, and allow the body to get sufficient rest.

4. Pay attention to blood pressure

Winter is the peak season for cardiovascular diseases. Cold weather can aggravate vasoconstriction. In addition, the cold weather reduces activity, and drinking hot drinks to warm the body and sweating less can cause high blood pressure. Kidney patients should monitor their blood pressure more often and adjust their antihypertensive medications in time.

5. Skin Moisturizing

The air is dry and the skin is prone to itching. It is not advisable to take a bath frequently, the water temperature should not be too high (while preventing low-temperature burns), and it is not advisable to use alkaline shower gel. You can apply vitamin E or vaseline moisturizer all over your body.

Article author: Ban Yuwei, Ma Jun, Bian Kaixin

Author's unit: Shanghai Tongren Hospital

Image: Qianku.com

About the first author

Ban Yuwei, head nurse, bachelor's degree, works in the hemodialysis room of Shanghai Tongren Hospital. She has been engaged in blood purification nursing for more than ten years and is good at blood purification nursing.