What is hyperphosphatemia?
Hyperphosphatemia is a condition in which you have excess phosphate (phosphorus) in your blood.
Phosphate is a type of electrolyte. Electrolytes are minerals that have a natural positive or negative charge when dissolved in water or other body fluids, such as blood.
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Who can develop hyperphosphatemia?
Anybody can get hyperphosphatemia. However, you’re more likely to have hyperphosphatemia if you have advanced chronic kidney disease or kidney failure.
You’re at a greater risk of chronic kidney disease or kidney failure if you:
- Have diabetes.
- Have high blood pressure (hypertension).
- Have heart disease.
- Have a family history of kidney disease.
- Have abnormal kidney structure.
- Are Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, First Nations or Alaska Native.
- Are over 60.
- Have a long history of taking pain relievers frequently, including over-the-counter (OTC) products such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
How common is hyperphosphatemia?
Among most people throughout the world, hyperphosphatemia alone is rare. However, if you have advanced chronic kidney disease, hyperphosphatemia is common. Approximately 70% of people with advanced chronic kidney disease have hyperphosphatemia.
What happens when phosphate levels are too high?
Your body needs phosphate to help form and strengthen your bones and teeth. It also helps your cells produce energy and build cell membranes.
But if your phosphate levels are too high, it can remove calcium from your bones, which makes them brittle. It can also cause calcium deposits in your eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels, which increase your risk of heart attack, stroke and death over time.
FAQs
Hyperphosphatemia is a condition in which you have too much phosphate in your blood. Causes include advanced chronic kidney disease, hypoparathyroidism and metabolic and respiratory acidosis. Hyperphosphatemia doesn't have symptoms. Treatment includes making changes to your diet, medications and dialysis.
What is the main cause of high phosphorus? ›
Renal failure is the most common cause of hyperphosphatemia. A glomerular filtration rate of less than 30 mL/min significantly reduces the filtration of inorganic phosphate, increasing its serum level. Other less common causes include a high intake of phosphorus or increased renal reabsorption.
What is the best treatment for hyperphosphatemia? ›
The strategy for treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with normal kidney function is to enhance renal excretion. This can be accomplished most effectively by volume repletion with saline coupled with forced diuresis with a loop diuretic such as furosemide or bumetanide.
What are the symptoms of hyperphosphatemia in humans? ›
Signs and symptoms of acute hyperphosphatemia result from the effects of hypocalcemia, with patients occasionally reporting symptoms such as muscle cramps, tetany, and perioral numbness or tingling. Other symptoms include bone and joint pain, pruritus, and rash.
How do you get rid of hyperphosphatemia? ›
There are three main strategies for correcting hyperphosphatemia:
- I. Diet: restricting dietary phosphate intake.
- II. Enhancing elimination: removing phosphate with adequate dialysis.
- III. Minimising phosphate absorption: reducing intestinal absorption using phosphate binders.
You may work with a dietitian, who can help you with a low phosphorus food and fluid plan. If limiting the amount of phosphorus you eat does not work, your doctor will also recommend that you take a phosphate binder with your meals. This is a type of medicine that helps to manage your phosphorus levels.
How do you flush phosphorus out of your body? ›
Dialysis can remove some phosphorus from your blood. It is important for you to understand how to limit build-up of phosphorus between your dialysis treatments.
What causes falsely elevated phosphorus? ›
Serum phosphate may be falsely elevated when a large amount of paraproteins is present in the serum, because ultraviolet light absorbance is elevated with the phosphom*olybdate ultraviolet assay, which is most commonly used for serum phosphate measurement.
Can you have high phosphorus without kidney disease? ›
Though not as common, hyperphosphatemia can also develop as a result of: Diabetes-related ketoacidosis. Damage to your muscles (rhabdomyolysis). Severe infection (sepsis).
Can dehydration cause hyperphosphatemia? ›
Decreased urinary phosphorus excretion in association with chronic renal failure is the most common cause of hyperphosphatemia in many monogastric species except horses. In ruminants, frank hyperphosphatemia is rare but may occur in growing animals that are dehydrated.
Limit the phosphorus-rich foods like dried beans, black-eyed peas and organ meats, such as chitterlings/chitlins. Use nondairy creamers and milk substitutes in place of milk in cereals, coffee, and many sauces. Serving size is very important because most foods have phosphorus.
What happens if you have too much phosphate in your body? ›
Yet in larger-than-normal amounts, phosphate can cause bone and muscle problems and increase your risk for heart attacks and strokes. A high phosphate level is often a sign of kidney damage. It's more common in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially in those with end-stage kidney disease.
Can low vitamin D cause high phosphorus? ›
With vitamin D deficiency, serum phosphorus values usually decrease because of the associated hyperparathyroidism, but hyperphosphatemia has been reported to occur when vitamin D deficiency is severe [1, 6].
Is hyperphosphatemia life threatening? ›
Hyperphosphatemia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. The association between hyperphosphatemia and increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease/vascular calcification has been well established for a long time.
What neutralizes phosphate? ›
Chemical precipitation is used to remove the inorganic forms of phosphate by the addition of a coagulant and a mixing of wastewater and coagulant. The multivalent metal ions most commonly used are calcium, aluminium and iron. Calcium: it is usually added in the form of lime Ca(OH)2.
What foods help hyperphosphatemia? ›
Avoid or limit beans, peas, and lentils. Try green beans, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, and bell peppers instead. Avoid or limit bran or whole wheat cereals and whole grain breads. Have corn and rice cereals and French, Italian, and white breads.
What medications cause high phosphorus levels? ›
Medications causing hyperphosphatemia include phosphorus-containing laxatives, oral phosphorus supplements, vitamin D supplements, and the bisphosphonates.
What depletes phosphorus in the body? ›
The most common causes of deficiency are kidney problems or a condition called hyperparathyroidism, in which too much parathyroid hormone is released that causes phosphorus to exit the body through urine. Also, the overuse of aluminum-containing antacids can bind to phosphorus and increase the risk of a deficiency.
