heat can promote or worsen chronic kidney disease, and kidney stones in the summer tend to occur at twice the normal rate.
The Italian Society of Nephrology (Sin) warns, which in view of the summer also raises an alarm on the lack of dialysis programs for patients who move on vacation outside their region, effectively forcing more than half of patients on dialysis "under house arrest".
The increase in temperatures "subjects the kidneys to a greater effort to retain liquids and mineral salts, which are lost conspicuously with sweating", observes the president of the Sin, observes Piergiorgio Messa.
"In addition, the dilation of blood vessels induced by heat - he continues - can cause a reduction in blood pressure, reducing the amount of blood that reaches the kidneys. As a consequence of the increased sweating, more concentrated urine is produced, favoring the aggregation of mineral salts in crystals which, as they grow, are transformed into real stones. Those who consume many sugary drinks containing additives are at greater risk of developing them ".
To protect the kidneys, it is necessary to drink at least 1.5-2 liters of water a day, replenish salts and minimize alcohol consumption, which generally increases in summer.
The warm months are an additional problem for kidney sufferers.
"Every summer there is a lack of holiday dialysis places for patients who move but this year - explains Messa - the country is unable to guarantee non-residents the provision of dialysis in most regions. After two years pandemic, the lack of specialized personnel and the shortage of beds has led to an exacerbation ".
"We have gone from 100% coverage of requests in the pre-Covid era - explains Giuseppe Vanacore, president of the National Hemodialysis Association (Aned) - to having insufficient holiday dialysis centers to cover more than half of the dialysis population. At least triple the number of dialysis patients is needed. of the beds currently foreseen. (ANSA).