title: Clinical and Biochemical Parameters of Hemodialysis Patients Before and During Islamic Month of Ramadan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Month of Ramadan bring many changes in life style, especially the diet of Muslims all over the world among both fasting and nonfasting individuals. Hemodialysis patients are kept on restricted diet because of fluid and electrolytes imbalance. The aim of this study was to compare changes in the clinical and biochemical parameters in fasting and nonfasting hemodialysis patients during the Ramadan.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a longitudinal study, we recruited 282 patients who were on maintenance dialysis for more than 3 months. Measurements included body weight, blood pressure, serum potassium, serum albumin, and serum phosphorus at the beginning and during the last week of Ramadan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 252 patients who were not fasted while 34 patients were those who fasted during the Ramadan. In the nonfasting hemodialysis patients, serum albumin significantly increased at the end of Ramadan (P < .001), while serum phosphorus levels (P = .004) and diastolic blood pressure (P = .002) showed a decrease as compared with the measurements before Ramadan. In the fasting group, only serum albumin had a significant increase (P < .001) during Ramadan, while other parameters were not significantly different between the two measurements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Changes in dietary pattern and content during the Ramadan is safe in terms of electrolyte balance and blood pressure changes for patients on hemodialysis. It is also safe for those patients who want to fast during this month.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Dorab Patel Post Graduate Training and Research Center, The Kidney Center Post Graduate Training Institute, Karachi, Pakistan. salman_imtiaz@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Salman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Imtiaz
authors.forename: Beena
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Salman
authors.forename: Murtaza Fakhruddin
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Dhrolia
authors.forename: Kiran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nasir
authors.forename: Hasan Nasir
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.forename: Aasim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001835:Body Weight; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007514:Islam; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000628:therapy*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000097:blood; D011188:Potassium / Q000097:blood; D011446:Prospective Studies; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis*; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin; D010758:Phosphorus; D011188:Potassium