Question

Dorothea is a 72-year-old black woman who is 5 ft 5 in tall and weighs 149 pounds. She has coronary heart disease and a long-standing history of hypertension with progressive loss of kidney function. She recently started receiving hemodialysis and is gaining about 4 pounds between treatments. She has convinced herself that because she is on dialysis, she can eat and drink whatever she wants and "the machine will take care of it." Yesterday, she ate the following:

Breakfast: Grits with cheese. Bacon Biscuit with butter. Coffee
Lunch: Hamburger on bun with ketchup and mustard. Potato chips. Banana. Sweetened tea
Dinner: Fried chicken. Macaroni and cheese. Collard greens. Pound cake. Sweetened tea

What risk factors does Dorothea have for CKD?

Answer 1

Dorothea's history of hypertension and coronary heart disease, combined with her weight gain between hemodialysis treatments and dietary choices high in sodium and fluids, are risk factors that contribute to worsening her Chronic Kidney Disease.

Step-by-step explanation:

Dorothea has several risk factors for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), including her long-standing history of hypertension and coronary heart disease. Hypertension is a significant risk factor for the development of CKD because it can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys over time, leading to decreased kidney function. Additionally, as a person who started receiving hemodialysis, Dorothea's weight gain between treatments poses further complications since it suggests fluid retention, which can worsen the condition of her kidneys. Her belief that she can eat and drink whatever she wants because the dialysis machine will "take care of it" is a misconception. The dietary choices she has made, as described in her meals, are high in sodium and fluids, which can exacerbate her hypertension and kidney burden, impacting her overall health and the effectiveness of her hemodialysis treatment.