Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Kidney Function and Proteinuria in Patients With Glomerulonephritis: a Prospective Observational Clinical Trial

Fasting from sunrise to sunset during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith. Duration of the fasting ranges from 10 to 18 hours per day according to the geographic location and the season. Although people with chronic illnesses are exempted from fasting according to Islamic beliefs, many patients insist on fasting against medical advice. Through the last three decades many reports studied the potential risks and benefits of fasting Ramadan in regular hemodialysis (HD) patients. Target points of investigation were different. Most of them were focusing on the electrolytes and nutritional changes. Fewer reports tested the mortality rate. In a multicenter observational study, 2055 Egyptian patients from 25 HD units were studied for frequency of fasting in Ramadan and the possible effect of fasting on clinical and biochemical variables. The investigators concluded that nearly 47% of the study patients fasted at least few days of Ramadan. They recommended that HD patients should be encouraged to discuss the option of fasting in Ramadan with their HD staff who might be able to give advice on whether to allow them to fast in days off dialysis with special precautions regarding associated comorbidities, especially diabetes and coronary artery disease. Most of the studies focused on the effects of fasting the month of Ramadan in CKD and hemodialysis patients, but no research assessed these effects specifically in patients with glomerulonephritis.