The Effect of Water Intake on the State of Hydration and Renal Function in Elderly Patients

Summary

Acute dehydration in the elderly is a well-known clinical condition, although situations that lead to chronic dehydration in the elderly may be quite frequent, but they are poorly studied. Metabolic changes in body water homeostasis can influence and provide chronic dehydration status as reduced sensitivity to thirst, antidiuretic hormone and renal inability to concentrate urine and the presence of chronic diseases and the use of polypharmacy may also predispose states of chronic dehydration. Due to these facts, a study to detect the existence of chronic dehydration states in a population of elderly people is highly justifiable. In addition, understanding whether increased water intake, improving chronic dehydration, may improve renal function in this population seems to be of great value, since it is a simple and inexpensive intervention and, if confirmed, it can be taken to institutions, by family members and health promoters who care for and cohabit with elderly individuals.

Our main objective is to evaluate the effect of stimulated and calculated water intake (per kg of patient weight) on the state of hydration and renal function in a population of elderly individuals. It is also within the scope of this project to evaluate the presence of chronic dehydration in elderly patients as well as in a subgroup of diabetic patients, and to compare different methods of evaluation of renal function. Design: Clinical trial Randomized for the main objective and cross-sectional study for secondary objectives.

The principal hypothesis is that guided water intake improve renal function in elderly patients.

Conditions

• Renal Function Disorder

Interventions

OTHER

Guided water intake

Verbal and written guidelines will be given for the patient to ingest the daily volume of water calculated by the weight (30 ml / kg / day) for 14 days. Patients will receive an acrylic glass with a mark in 200 ml and will be instructed to take the number of glasses a day corresponding to the calculated volume (30 ml / kg). Patients will also receive a leaflet indicating how many glasses of water they will need to take. They will also be instructed to mark with an "X" the number of glasses of water that they actually drank daily during the fourteen days of intervention.

OTHER

Placebo - free demand water intake

Patients are instructed to drink water and other liquids on demand. Patients are asked to note on a food record food and liquids and quantities consumed throughout the day. Patients are advised to make a four-day food diary out of the 14 days.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Andrea Bauer · Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-03-01

Primary Completion

2021-12-31

Completion

2021-12-31

Countries

• Brazil

Study Locations