Can I Drink Alcohol when I Have Nephrotic Syndrome

Some people with Nephrotic syndrome ask if they can drink alcohol. Nephrotic syndrome make you swell up and cause proteins in urine. When the illness condition gets better, some wonder if they could drink some alcohol. We have known that drinking moderate amount of alcohol is beneficial for human health. However, alcohol may cause further damage to people with Nephrotic Syndrome, so people should avoid it for their kidney health.

What are the bad effects of alcohol for people with Nephrotic Syndrome? Normally, blood pumped by heart will be transported to kidneys to be filtered. Alcohol can decrease effective renal blood flow and worsen the kidney function. According to medical researches, over 90 percent alcohol in human body is metabolized through our liver. If people drink 50ml liquor, it will be metabolized in our liver for four to six hours. In this metabolism process, large amounts of coenzyme I, coenzyme II and cytochrome P450 will be consumed which can lead to necrosis of liver cells and cause liver fibrosis. Alcohol should be restricted for our liver health.

The kidneys can normally produce erythropoietin to stimulate production of red blood cells. Patients with poorly functioning kidneys may develop anemia due to reduced erythropoietin (EPO) levels. Drinking alcohol can worsen anemia state and platelet disorders, and this can impair the nutrition status. Alcohol doesn’t damage the kidneys directly. However, it could make such risk factors as high blood pressure, high blood lipid, hyperuricemia, swelling, etc even more uncontrollable and affect the management/treatment effect of Nephrotic Syndrome. Moreover, alcohol can affect nitrogen balance and increase blood urea nitrogen (BUN) density, which can disturb examination of kidney function and management of the illness condition.

Nephrotic syndrome damages glomerular filters and causes protein in urine. Loss of proteins causes swelling (edema) of limbs, eyelids, ankles, etc. High blood pressure and high blood cholesterol are combined to further damage kidneys and increase possibility of heart disease. Drinking alcohol can cause dehydration to slow blood circulation and increase chances of blood vessel damage. In addition to alcohol, smoking should also be avoided. Regularly communicate with your doctors if there is need for the management and daily care plan modifications to prevent deterioration of the disease and improve quality of life.