Approaches to and Clinical Benefits of Reducing Dietary K in CKD

Neuromuscular complications are almost universal in CKD by the time that a patient commences dialysis. Recent studies have indicated that chronic hyperkalemia may contribute to the development of neuropathy in CKD. This study was undertaken to determine whether dietary restriction of potassium intake may be a neuroprotective factor in CKD.A 24-month prospective, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial was undertaken in 47 consecutively recruited patients with stages 3 and 4 CKD. The intervention arm (There was a greater increase in total neuropathy score from baseline to final assessment in the control arm compared with the intervention arm (6.1±6.2-8.6±7.9 controls; 7.8±7.4-8.2±7.5 intervention; change 2.8±3.3-0.4±2.2, respectively;Our results provide important preliminary evidence that dietary potassium restriction confers neuroprotection in CKD and should be confirmed in a larger multicenter trial.