NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES MANUAL FOR PRE- AND POST-KIDNEY TRANSPLANT PATIENTS

Abstract

The kidneys are regulatory organs that selectively excrete and conserve water and various chemical compounds. Its main functions are: 1) maintenance of water balance, osmolarity, electrolyte concentrations (e.g.: sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium and phosphate) and the acid-base state of the organism; 2) excretion of end products of metabolism, such as urea, uric acid, phosphates and sulfates, and also of other substances, pharmaceuticals and drugs; 3) production and secretion of hormones and enzymes involved in systemic and renal hemodynamics (renin, angiotensin II, prostaglandins and bradykinin), in the maturation of red blood cells in the bone marrow (erythropoietin), in the balance of calcium and phosphorus, as well as bone metabolism ( due to the activation of vitamin D). To maintain homeostasis, the kidneys must establish a balance between the rate of appearance and disappearance of a given substance in the body (amount produced + amount ingested = amount consumed + amount excreted) (BRASPEN, 2021).