Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Nationwide Observational Cohort Study

Kidney pain usually appears in the back, on either side of the spine, just under the ribs. A person who experiences this type of pain, especially if it intensifies over hours or days, may have a serious illness and should speak to a doctor. See a doctor or therapist if you feel you’re dependent on alcohol or if it’s interfering with your life in some way. Your doctor may prescribe kidney medication or recommend programs in your area to help you.

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Small amounts of alcohol can be easily filtered and disposed of, but too much alcohol affects how the kidneys work, impairing them to the point of not being able to properly purify the blood of the alcohol content. Alcohol is capable of undoing the kidneys’ ability to filter out toxins, and while this is not usually a problem with normal drinking, it becomes a serious problem when the drinking is abusive or excessive. For people with diabetes and CKD, alcohol may be safe to drink if you have your blood sugar level under control. Remember that alcohol on an empty stomach can cause blood sugar levels to drop.

The timing of the pain could be a coincidence, or the alcohol could have intensified an existing problem. Alcohol increases the acidity of urine and can irritate the lining of the bladder. A person who drinks alcohol can become dehydrated, increasing the risk of a UTI. However, more research is needed into the link between alcohol use and kidney injury. The kidneys help filter the blood, including by filtering out harmful substances such as alcohol.

1. Alcohol is capable of undoing the kidneys’ ability to filter out toxins, and while this is not usually a problem with normal drinking, it becomes a serious problem when the drinking is abusive or excessive.
2. The impact of cannabis may affect how well you stick to your Veozah treatment plan.
3. Scientists are not sure whether an association exists, and they are unsure as to the underlying mechanisms.
4. Draw the initial manuscript, and all authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

Our admissions navigators are available 24/7 at to discuss treatment options and give you molly mdma wikipedia the information you need to begin your road to recovery. For people with kidney disease who are having dialysis or on a low-potassium and/or low-phosphate diet, alcohol can be particularly challenging. Kidney dietitian Nick McAleer from Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust offers advice about choosing drinks. Evidence also exists that alcohol-related damage to the liver, in particular advanced liver cirrhosis, leads to hepatorenal syndrome (HRS)—a deterioration in renal function related to impaired circulation.

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If you have any other questions about enjoying alcohol safely, please speak to your doctor or your kidney dietitian. It’s always wise to check with your doctor or dietitian before incorporating alcohol into your diet and it is recommended that you combine your alcohol with food. Finally, if you want to drink alcohol, please discuss this with your pharmacist as some medications do interact with alcohol. You might wonder if you can continue to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or your favorite craft IPA. The answer will depend on a few things, including your current health.

Drink in Moderation, If at All

Kidney disease can also be brought about by high blood pressure and liver disease, both of which are possible effects of alcoholism. In order to do their job properly, the kidneys need a certain rate of blood flowing into them; a liver that is damaged by alcohol abuse cannot properly regulate the blood that the kidneys receive. The National Kidney Foundation notes that most patients who have both liver disease and problems with their kidneys struggle with alcohol dependence as well. Alcohol-induced intestinal damage and increased mucosal translocation of bacterial endotoxin are crucial in the initiation and progression of alcoholic liver injury and in the pathogenesis of other alcohol-related diseases (Bala et al. 2014; Purohit et al. 2008). (For an in-depth discussion of alcohol and the digestive tract, see the article by Keshavarzian in this issue.) The direct role of alcohol-related endotoxin release in alcoholic kidney injury has not yet been studied.

Can drinking alcohol cause kidney failure?

Without adequate blood flow, the kidneys struggle to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood. The organization adds that regular heavy drinking can lead to CKD and that this type of kidney disease does not resolve with time. A 2018 study found that having alcohol use disorder increased the likelihood of having a new diagnosis of CKD. However, the study authors also mentioned that more studies are needed to explore the connection between AUD and kidney function. Alcohol does not cause direct harm to the kidneys, especially when consumed in a safe manner. However, if you have kidney disease, you need to be mindful of how much you drink and the downstream effects that alcohol can have on your body.

Additional research is needed to clarify if alcohol does indeed promote kidney injury and the mechanisms by which alcohol-induced kidney injury may occur. Age, primary diseases, initial eGFR, and individual differences can also affect the prognosis of patients with CKD and interfere with the effects of alcohol on the kidneys 7,10,67,94. Since aging, metabolic diseases, and hypertension impair kidney function, they can also influence the effect of ethanol on the kidneys. Thus, the risk of kidney damage from alcohol increases with age, metabolic diseases, hypertension, and initial eGFR.

The current study enrolled 45,200 subjects, which was a representative cohort for the Taiwan population. The follow-up period was 13 years, which was long enough to observe the development of CKD; thus, the research had appropriate power. Furthermore, we adjusted for nearly all potential confounding variables, including age, sex, body mass index, socioeconomic status, vegetables, fruit, smoking, and exercise habits, and comorbidities. This 13-year cohort study revealed that participants with social or regular drinking habits had significantly reduced risk of the development of CKD when compared with non-drinkers. Reducing alcohol intake can lessen the risk of alcohol-related kidney disease. Binge drinking, or drinking numerous drinks in just a few hours, can cause an acute kidney injury.

In fact, IgA glomerulonephritis—acute inflammation of the kidney caused by an IgA immune response—is one of the most common types of primary glomerulonephritis worldwide (D’Amico 1987). This IgA-related kidney disease leads to clinical symptoms of renal injury and eventually progresses into renal failure (Amore et al. 1994; Bene et al. 1988; Pouria and Feehally 1999). Experimental studies suggest that heavy alcohol consumption induces IgA kidney disease (Smith et al. 1990). In addition, rats given intragastric infusions of a commercial whiskey (1.5 ml/100 gm body weight) 3 times a week along with a nutrient-deficient diet develop a more severe form of IgA nephropathy (Amore et al. 1994). Free radicals (also called reactive oxygen species ROS) are one of the by-products of alcohol metabolism and are known to cause cellular damage, unless the body can use antioxidants to clean them up. Oxidative stress occurs when the body cannot detoxify free radicals as fast as they are being produced, and it is pivotal in triggering alcohol-related tissue injury.