Final answer:
Increased sodium consumption increases a client's risk for dysrhythmias in end-stage kidney disease by contributing to fluid volume overload, which can lead to hypertension and heart failure, as well as exacerbating the risk of hyperkalemia and related cardiac arrhythmias.
Step-by-step explanation:
The dietary habit that increases a client's risk for dysrhythmias in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is increased sodium consumption. Patients with chronic kidney disease are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease due to accelerated atherosclerosis. When kidneys are not functioning properly, they cannot effectively eliminate excess sodium and fluid, leading to fluid volume overload. This results in hypertension and increases the risk of heart failure and dysrhythmias.
Moreover, excessive sodium intake can lead to hyperkalemia, which is an elevated potassium level in the blood that can further exacerbate cardiac dysrhythmias. Hyperkalemia hampers the function of the heart as it can cause partial depolarization of cardiac cells, preventing the heart from relaxing after a contraction and causing potential arrhythmias. With ESKD, there is a decreased renal excretion of potassium, which compounds the risk when dietary potassium intake is not appropriately managed.
Increased sodium consumption can also result in excessive water reabsorption in the kidneys, which leads to fluid volume overload. Symptoms of this overload may range from mild edema to life-threatening pulmonary edema. It is critical to manage sodium intake for ESKD patients to minimize the risk of these complications.