Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Ramadan Fasting in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: A Descriptive Observational Study

Abir Farouk Megahed, Sara M. Abdel-Gawad, Nour Allah Magdy El-Bahnasawy, Nagy Sayed-Ahmed

Asian Journal of Medicine and Health · pp. 309–320 · Published 27 Nov 2023

10.9734/ajmah/2023/v21i11949

Abstract

Background: According to Islamic rules, a Muslim is requested to abstain from food, water, smoking, medications, and sexual activities from dawn until dusk, every day during the month of Ramadan. While Islam rules allow patients with appreciable illnesses not to fast, many Muslims, with chronic diseases, tend to stick to fasting, even against medical advice. However, there is no consensus among treating physicians regarding the fasting of Ramadan of patients in various stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially those who insist on fasting regardless of their health problems. Aim of the Work:We aimed to observe the practice of Ramadan fasting of CKD patients of different disease stages and its effect on CKD progression. Methods and Subjects:The study observed sixty-three patients who were followed regularly at the Nephrology Outpatient Clinic in Mansoura Military Hospital, before, during, and after the month of Ramadan during summer in the years 2016-2019 to evaluate the effect of fasting on the patients and their kidneys. The study comprised two groups that comprised fifty fasting patients and thirteen in non -fasting group. Results:The examined CKD patients included 47 males and 16 females who comprised 50 patients who practised fasting and 13 patients who did not fast the months of Ramadan according to their own will. Their ages ranged between 27 and 77 years. Forty-nine patients did not progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD), while the remaining fourteen patients ended with dialysis during the study.Neither urea nor creatinine changes had statistically significant differences between patients who had and who had not fasted. In addition, differences in creatinine slope values between those who fasted did not show any statistical significance. Fourteen of the studied patients progressed to the need for dialysis; their mean age was 62 years. Of them, those who fasted included 3 patients of stage 4 and 6 patients of stage 5. Furthermore, the frequency of patients who started dialysis directly after Ramadan (six patients; 66.7%) were lower in the fasting group. Of the studied patients, seven had renal stones and opted to fast. All of them experienced occasional attacks of loin pain that increased during the first two weeks of fasting but decreased in the last two weeks of the month of Ramadan. Conclusion: Compared to non-fasting, Ramadan fasting does not cause a significant extra risk of renal disease progression.

Kidney disease ramadan fasting fasting chronic diseases

References (29)

  1. 1 Kidney stones: pathophysiology and medical management [DOI]
  2. 2 Kidney stones: a global picture of prevalence, incidence, and associated risk factors.
  3. 3 Summary of Recommendation Statements [DOI]
  4. 4 The effect of fasting or calorie restriction on autophagy induction: A review of the literature [DOI]
  5. 5 Efficacy and Tolerability of the Ketogenic Diet According to Lipid:Nonlipid Ratios—Comparison of 3:1 with 4:1 Diet [DOI]
  6. 6 Effect of Intermittent Fasting Diet on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism and Insulin Resistance in Patients with Impaired Glucose and Lipid Metabolism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis [DOI]
  7. 7 Seasonal variations of urinary stone colic in Arabia.
  8. 8 Medical Management of Urinary Stone Disease [DOI]
  9. 9 Fasting Ramadan in chronic kidney disease patients: clinical and biochemical effects.
  10. 10 Kidney function and metabolic profile of chronic kidney disease and hemodialysis patients during Ramadan fasting.
  11. 11 Effects of fasting on patients with chronic kidney disease during Ramadan and practical guidance for healthcare professionals [DOI]
  12. 12 Does Ramadan Fasting Affect Hydration Status and Kidney Function in CKD Patients? [DOI]
  13. 13 Effect of Ramadan fasting on urinary risk factors for calculus formation.
  14. 14 Does fasting in Ramadan increase the risk of developing urinary stones? [DOI]
  15. 15 Fasting during Ramadan and acute kidney injury (AKI): a retrospective, propensity matched cohort study [DOI]
  16. 16 Monthly variations of urinary stone colic in Iran and its relationship to the fasting month of Ramadan.
  17. 17 Fasting during the month of Ramadan among patients with chronic kidney disease: renal and cardiovascular outcomes [DOI]
  18. 18 Fasting in Ramadan is not associated with deterioration of chronic kidney disease: A prospective observational study [DOI]
  19. 19 Effects of fasting during Ramadan on renal function of patients with chronic kidney disease [DOI]
  20. 20 Comparison of the number of patients admitted with renal colic during various stages of peri-Ramadan month.
  21. 21 Ketogenic ratio, calories, and fluids: Do they matter? [DOI]
  22. 22 Ramadan fasting and patients with renal diseases: A mini review of the literature.
  23. 23 Effects of fasting during the month of Ramadan on renal function in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease [DOI]
  24. 24 The effect of Ramadan fasting on kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease [DOI]
  25. 25 Ramadan Fasting in Health and Disease [DOI]
  26. 26 Evaluation of Patients with Renal Colic that Present to an Emergency Department During the Month of Ramadan [DOI]
  27. 27 Ramadan fasting and renal failure.
  28. 28 Metabolic evaluation in patients with nephrolithiasis: A report from Isfahan, Iran [DOI]
  29. 29 K/DOQI clinical practice guidelines for chronic kidney disease: Evaluation, classification, and stratification

Cited by 3

Assessment of the Effect of Fasting Ramadan on renal functions in type 2 diabetic Egyptian patients.

M. Ata, Mohamed Abd El Raof Qorny, Yasmin Abd El Rahman · Benha Medical Journal · 2025

Ramadan Fasting and Its Impact on Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: Insights and Guidelines

Sami Alobaidi · Cureus · 2024

Showing 2 of 3 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

0

Page views

0

PDF downloads

0

Outbound clicks

3

Citations

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

No views recorded yet.

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

No traffic recorded yet.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.