Effect of Dietary Phosphate Restriction in Pre-Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease Patients with Hyperphosphataemia in Southern Nigeria.

Background: Hyperphosphataemia is a common cardiovascular risk factor in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Dietary counseling and control are key aspects in the management of CKD. Although some studies have shown the beneficial effects of dietary phosphate restriction on cardiovascular and bone health in haemodialysis patients, little is known about its effect in pre-dialysis CKD patients.

Aim: To determine the effect of dietary phosphate restriction in predialysis CKD patients with hyperphosphataemia.

Methods: A hospital-based interventional study involving 72 predialysis CKD patients with hyperphosphataemia randomly allocated into 2 groups. Group 1 had nutritional counseling on dietary phosphate restriction while group 2 had no form of dietary phosphate restriction. All participants were placed on a phosphate binder throughout the study period of 3 months. At the end of the third month, a repeat of baseline tests (serum phosphate, calcium, albumin, creatinine and serum lipids) and anthropometric measurements were done and compared between the 2 groups.

Results: The mean age in the treatment and control groups were 54.6±14.7 years and 54.9±14.5 years, respectively. The mean serum phosphate (5.7±0.5 vs. 5.5± 0.4mg/dl), calcium (7.9±0.9 vs. 7.8± 0.7mg/dl), albumin (3.8±0.4 vs. 3.9±0.7g/dl), creatinine (3.9±1.3 vs. 3.7±1.2mg/dl) and body mass index (BMI) (25.0±3.9 vs.25.4±3.1kg/m2) were similar in both groups. Serum phosphate, potassium, fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol, triglycerides and BMI were significantly reduced while there was no significant change in serum calcium-phosphate product and haematocrit following dietary phosphate restriction in addition to use of phosphate binders. However, on comparison of the changes between the treatment and control groups preand post- intervention, there was no significant change in serum phosphate but there was significant decrease in serum potassium, triglyceride and FBG.

Conclusion: The use of phosphate binders in pre-dialysis CKD significantly reduced serum phosphate while additional dietary phosphate restriction had no significant effect on serum phosphate lowering and there was no significant change in nutritional status in predialysis CKD patients with hyperphosphataemia.