How To Alleviate Anemia On Dialysis Patients

Anemia is one of the common symptoms on dialysis patients. Patients usually feel fatigue, weak and tiredness and short of breath. Untreated anemia can affect other major organs like heart and brain. Thus, the treatment of anemia becomes essential for kidney disease patients.

For the treatment of alleviating anemia in dialysis patients, you should first know:

What causes anemia?

Kidneys are important organs and one of the major functions is to make hormone called erythropoietin(EPO). Hormones are secretions that your body makes to help you body work and keep you healthy. And EPO is responsible for producing enough red blood cells to supply blood and oxygen to your body. However, when you have kidney disease, your kidneys cannot make enough EPO. Dialysis means your kidneys have lost most of functions. In this case, red blood cell count becomes less and anemia occurs.

How to alleviate anemia?

1. Drugs

You should take drugs called erythropoiesis-stimulating agent(ESAs). ESAs act like a natural hormone EPO, which can help your body make red blood cells.

2. Extra iron

Iron is able to make red blood cells, especially if you are taking ESAs. Without enough iron, your ESAs treatment will not work.

3. Dietary changes

Low levels of vitamins or iron in the body can cause anemia. To alleviate anemia, your doctor may ask you to change your diet or take vitamin or iron supplements. You should take vitamin supplements including vitamin B12 and folic acid. And vitamin C is used to help the body absorb iron. Besides, the following foods are good source of iron absorption. The foods include spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables, tofu, dried fruits such as prunes, raisins and apricots, prune juice and iron-fortified cereals and breads. Moreover, to treat anemia, eating more meat is more helpful, especially red meat such as beef or liver, chicken, turkey, pork and fish and shellfish.

4. Repair kidney damage and improve kidney function

As above mentioned, anemia on kidney dialysis patients is caused by damaged kidneys and declined kidney function, causing red blood cell deficiency. Therefore, to alleviate anemia should repair damaged kidney and improve kidney function. We mainly adopt Micro-Chinese medicine osmotherapy to repair kidney damage. Based on traditional Chinese medicines, Micro-Chinese medicine osmotherapy has the function of anti-inflammation, anti-coagulation, extracellular matrix and blood vessel dilation. Through these functions, renal fibrosis can be prevented and further kidney damage can be stemmed. More importantly, the active ingredients in Chinese medicines can supply blood and nutrients by way of dilating blood vessels. In this way, anemia can be alleviated and also it is also helpful for repairing kidney damage. And gradually kidney function can also be improved.

Several ways for you help alleviate anemia. However, treating kidney disease should not just treat symptoms, while repairing kidney damage is the key point.