Mulberries, also known as mulberries, are the ripe fruits of the mulberry tree. They are sweet and juicy and are one of the most commonly eaten fruits. Ripe mulberries are oily in texture, with juice as thick as honey, sweet and sour in fragrance, and rich in nutrients. Many people like to eat them, and they are listed as one of the "food and medicine" agricultural products that are "both food and medicine".
After scientific identification, fresh mulberries contain a large amount of free acids and 16 kinds of amino acids, as well as minerals and trace elements such as zinc, iron, calcium, manganese, etc. that are lacking in the human body, as well as carotene, fructose, glucose, Succinic acid pectin, cellulose, etc., together with sea buckthorn, raspberry, etc., are known as the "third generation fruits".
Nutritional content of mulberries (purple, red) per 100 grams: energy 48 kcal, protein 1.6 grams, fat 0.4 grams, carbohydrates 12.9 grams, dietary fiber 3.3 grams, vitamin A3 micrograms, carotene 20 micrograms, vitamin E 12.78 mg, calcium 30 mg, phosphorus 33 mg, potassium 32 mg, sodium 1.9 mg, iron 0.3 mg, zinc 0.25 mg, selenium 6.5 micrograms, manganese 0.29 mg.
Zhang Zhenzhong, a traditional Chinese medicine expert at Beijing Lianke Traditional Chinese Medicine and Nephrology Hospital, said that mulberries are rich in nutrients, including protein, vitamins and dietary fiber, which help improve the body's immunity and enhance appetite. However, patients with chronic kidney disease, especially renal insufficiency, or patients with hyperkalemia themselves should use it with caution, because mulberries contain high potassium, and excessive consumption is likely to induce disease attacks, and may also lead to aggravation of the condition and heart rhythm problems. disorders and other serious complications.
An elderly man suffered from hyperkalemia after taking mulberry granules and recovered after comprehensive treatment
Patient xxx, female, 63 years old, from Lianyungang, Jiangsu. I have many underlying diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. I often suffer from symptoms such as weakness in the waist and knees, dizziness, insomnia, tinnitus, constipation, dry mouth, and other uncomfortable symptoms. I bought "mulberry granules" from a nearby clinic 10 days ago and took them.
I felt unwell at home all day on January 25, with no energy, nausea, and fatigue. Later, he could no longer hold on any longer, so his family took the patient to a local hospital for treatment late at night. While seeing a doctor, the patient suddenly experienced cardiac arrest and respiratory arrest, and the medical staff quickly took rescue measures. The electrolyte test showed: potassium 9.90mmol/L. The doctor quickly called the doctor on duty in the nephrology department for consultation. The nephrologist heard the phone ringing at 1 a.m., got up immediately, contacted the doctor in the hemodialysis room, and escorted the patient to the blood purification center for hemodialysis. Because blood potassium exceeds 6.5mmol/L, patients may die at any time, and when it reaches such a serious condition as 10mmol/L, few patients survive. Patients whose blood potassium reaches this level are already on the verge of death and cannot waste a single second.
The doctors and nurses from the hemodialysis room of the Nephrology Department who were resting at home rushed to the hospital. However, due to the patient's unstable vital signs such as low blood pressure, slow heart rate, and slow arterial pulse, coupled with poor endotracheal intubation and poor blood vessel conditions, deep vein catheterization is very difficult. The medical staff worked together and finally successfully performed a deep vein catheterization and immediately performed emergency hemodialysis treatment.
After medical staff jointly rescued him, the patient gradually regained consciousness after 5 a.m., and the blood potassium was rechecked at 4.8mmol/L. The value returned to normal, and he was temporarily out of danger. After careful inquiry, we learned that the patient took "mulberry granules" for 10 days, but did not review electrolyte-related indicators in a timely manner according to the doctor's instructions, resulting in an increase in blood potassium. The doctor asked the patient to stop taking certain medications immediately. After all indicators stabilized, he stopped dialysis and used a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine for treatment. After his condition stabilized, he recovered and was discharged. After being discharged from the hospital, he continued to take medicine according to the doctor's instructions to control blood pressure, blood sugar and other indicators. He also used traditional Chinese medicine to strengthen kidney function and reviewed regularly.
Doctors said that in general, when healthy people consume too much potassium, their kidneys can increase their excretion. However, if they are patients with impaired kidney function, they may develop hyperkalemia. Potassium is the most important cation in the body, and the kidneys are important organs that regulate potassium metabolism. The causes of elevated blood potassium are divided into three categories: excessive intake of potassium ions, reduced excretion, and imbalanced distribution. Improper use of drugs can also cause an increase in blood potassium by affecting different aspects of the kidney's regulation of potassium balance.
Hyperkalemia often has no obvious symptoms or is accompanied by some non-specific cardiovascular and neuromuscular symptoms. If weakness, fatigue, dyspnea, palpitations, chest pain, restlessness, confusion, and nausea occur, Symptoms such as vomiting must be taken seriously. If blood potassium is >5.0mmol/L, or patients with chronic hyperkalemia must control their intake of high-potassium foods, potassium-containing "low-sodium salt" and other condiments are prohibited.
How to prevent hyperkalemia in chronic kidney disease?
Zhang Zhenzhong, an expert in traditional Chinese medicine, said that chronic kidney disease is often accompanied by a variety of systemic complications, including hyperkalemia, mineral bone disease, anemia, hyperphosphatemia, hypertension, etc., which increase the death of patients. risk. The kidney is an important excretory organ of the human body. Through the formation and excretion of urine, it removes metabolic waste and toxins from the body and maintains the stability of the internal environment. Therefore, kidney function is crucial to body metabolism, internal environment, and endocrine. 90% of blood potassium in the human body is excreted through the kidneys. When kidney function is damaged, glomerular filtration rate is reduced, and aldosterone levels are low, blood potassium will increase. If the blood potassium level is higher than 5.0mmol/L, it is hyperkalemia.
Hyperkalemia is one of the common clinical electrolyte disorders, which can cause arrhythmia and even cardiac arrest, seriously endangering the patient's life. According to statistics, the all-cause mortality rate of patients with hyperkalemia is 26 times that of people with normal blood potassium levels. Moreover, hyperkalemia is prone to recurring episodes, continuously increasing the incidence of serious cardiovascular events and mortality in patients. Data show that nearly 40% of patients with stage 4-5 chronic kidney disease are at risk of death due to arrhythmia or cardiac arrest. Therefore, patients with chronic kidney disease should actively prevent hyperkalemia and do these four things.
1. Limit foods high in potassium. Patients with chronic renal failure are prone to hyperkalemia. Severe hyperkalemia (serum potassium greater than 6.5mmol/L) is life-threatening and should be taken seriously. You should eat less or no foods high in potassium, such as mushrooms, kelp, seaweed, mustard, bananas, offal, etc.
2. Limit foods with high sodium content. Appropriately limit sodium intake. Generally, the daily sodium chloride (salt) intake should not exceed 6-8 grams. For patients with obvious edema, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease, sodium intake should generally be controlled at 2-3 grams (daily sodium chloride intake should be controlled at 5-7 grams). For patients with serious conditions, the sodium intake should be limited to 1-3 grams. 2 grams (daily sodium chloride intake is controlled at 2.5-5 grams).
3. Monitor serum potassium regularly. Patients with chronic kidney disease should follow the doctor's advice and go to the hospital regularly for kidney function and electrolyte tests to understand changes in blood potassium, which can help prevent the occurrence of hyperkalemia.
4. Drugs that cause elevated blood potassium are prohibited. Be sure to avoid transfusion of old blood, and do not use certain Chinese herbal decoctions with high potassium content, potassium-sparing diuretics and other drugs. Patients should stop medication or change dressings under the guidance of a doctor, and cannot change dressings privately.
(Text/Li Lie, physician/Zhang Zhenzhong; about 2000 words)