Association of Reported Dietary Fiber and Hyperkalemia in the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Population
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Authors
Jahan, Khandakar Suraya
Issue Date
2024
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Among the chronic kidney disease (CKD) population, hyperkalemia is a life-threatening complication, affecting 9.6% of individuals when blood potassium levels exceed 5 mEq/L. People with CKD have historically been advised to manage hyperkalemia risk with a low-potassium diet. Managing dietary potassium intake in the CKD population is challenging due to the lack of evidence-based guidelines, which often leads to restrictions on potassium-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables that are also rich in dietary fiber. It has been proposed that dietary fiber may help to reduce hyperkalemia by decreasing potassium absorption or enhancing its excretion through stool, or both. The association of dietary fiber with plasma potassium levels and hyperkalemia risk has not been tested yet. Therefore, this cross-sectional observational study aims to investigate primarily the association between reported dietary fiber intake and hyperkalemia in the hemodialysis (HD) population; and secondarily the association of hyperkalemia with other sociodemographic (e.g., age, sex) and clinical data variables (e.g., DM, HTN), as well as assess the frequency of hyperkalemia for them. For the study design, 14 participants met all the inclusion (adults under HD) and exclusion criteria (any gastrointestinal disorders, clinically unstable, and non-English speaking) and had dietary, sociodemographic, and clinical data available. Dietary data was collected using a 3-day food record, sociodemographic data by a questionnaire, and other clinical data from their medical records. Analyzing the nutritional data by Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) and using statistical software to assess the relationship, no direct association was observed between reported dietary fiber intake and hyperkalemia. Other variables were also not associated with this complication of CKD. By analyzing the blood potassium levels in the last 12 months, the frequency of hyperkalemia in the HD population was approximately once every five instances. This study offers preliminary insights into dietary fiber intake and hyperkalemia risk in the HD population, showing that while low fiber intake and higher frequency of hyperkalemia are common, no association was found between them. Highlight the potential to improve dietary fiber intake and lower hyperkalemia risk, which underscores the need for a more comprehensive observational study to investigate this hypothesis further.