Does Dialysis Cause Hair Loss

People on dialysis do sometimes notice they are suffering from hair loss. Should they attribute their hair loss to dialysis? Does dialysis cause hair loss?

When kidneys can’t do their job optimally, dialysis is commonly used to clean patients’ blood and removes extra fluid, but kidneys still have other functions that can’t be replaced by dialysis. For people on dialysis, they are more likely to experience the following disorders, which can lead to hair loss.

Nutrition issues: Malnutrition is the most common reason for hair loss in dialysis patients especially hemodialysis. Because of diet restrictions and/or losses of protein during dialysis, people on dialysis may not get enough protein, but our hair is mainly made up of protein. This is why people on dialysis may face hair loss.

Zinc deficiency: Besides protein, zinc and other minerals such as calcium and iron also play a role in hair growth. However, people on dialysis usually limit the intake of foods high in zinc, so hair loss may happen easily.

Heparin and hair loss: It is a common medicine that dialysis patients must take, because it can help prevent blood clotting. Incorrect dosage of heparin may cause some healthy problems as well as hair loss. If you have such a problem, aking your doctor to determine whether you are taking heparin correctly is very necessary.

Inadequate dialysis: Dialysis can help damaged kidneys eliminate waste products but not all. If patients undergo inadequate dialysis, more and more excessive wastes will build up in the body to cause some symptoms and discomforts. Hair loss is just one of these symptoms. Therefore, alway make sure you are taking adequate dialysis treatment.

Sine all of the above factors may cause hair loss, you should take relative treatments to solve your problems. Only if you take right managements, you can regain your beautiful hair again. Don’t worry! Here, many kidney experts are striving to give you biggest help.