Acute kidney failure during marathon: 'Running doctor' reveals the cause

'Most cases of kidney failure after dialysis do not occur in professional athletes but in newbies or those who get involved too quickly and recklessly,' said Dr. Nguyen Phuong.

At running races, many athletes have to be hospitalized due to accidents, especially when running in hot weather. Typically, recently, while participating in a marathon in Quang Ninh , 2 athletes had to be hospitalized due to acute kidney failure.

Why acute kidney failure after jogging?

Doctor Nguyen Phuong, who is working at the VNVC Vaccination Center and is also a runner, inspires the community by asking the question: "When you run, do you understand what happens in your body?".

Female doctor is considered an inspiration, sharing knowledge in the running community in Vietnam.

Photo: NVCC

Dr. Phuong said that marathon running is a huge physiological stress test. When the body exercises for a long time, our cardiac output increases 3-5 times, increasing the control of the sympathetic nervous system, all circulatory priorities will be controlled through the brain, muscles, and skin more, while reducing blood flow to the kidneys and digestion. Normally, the kidneys will receive 20-25% of cardiac output at rest, but only less than 10% when exerting for a long time and with dehydration.

When running, our body sweats not only causing dehydration but also sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium... The amount of electrolytes lost cannot be compensated, leading to muscle spasms, cramps, arrhythmia, confusion. At this time, the blood becomes concentrated, hematocrit increases, blood viscosity increases, blood flow to the glomerulus will decrease, leading to acute kidney damage.

Who is susceptible to acute kidney failure after over-running?

So, who is at risk of kidney failure after running a marathon? Dr. Phuong shared: "These cases usually do not come from professional athletes."

These are people who are new to running and do not have a long enough training foundation. Many people who have only been running for a few months have signed up for a half marathon (21 km) or full marathon (42 km) to "test their strength".

Doctor Phuong participates in a trail race in Da Lat City.

Photo: NVCC

As an active inspiration in the running community in Vietnam, Dr. Phuong does not deny that their sportsmanship is very valuable, but the body is not yet adapted enough to prolonged exercise intensity, especially:

• The heart, lungs, blood vessels, and muscles are not used to prolonged exertion.
• The body's ability to cool is weak, leading to easy increase in body temperature and loss of salt.
• The ability to recognize danger signals from the body is still poor.
• The result is easy cramps, fatigue, vomiting, collapse, more serious is kidney or muscle damage.
• Increasing distance too quickly, without scientific roadmap.

There are also many people who run from 10 km to 21 km in just 2-3 weeks or sign up for ultra trails (long-distance trail running) after only a few months of light training without understanding what the body needs such as:

• Learn to regulate your heart rate and breathing.
• Develops the ability to use fat as sustainable energy.
• Increase muscle endurance and prevent injury.
• Not getting used to the competition environment (sun, slope, humidity).

"The rule for increasing your running distance should not exceed 10% per week. If you rush, you may get burned in reverse," said Dr. Nguyen Phuong.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bac-si-chay-bo-chia-se-gi-ve-cac-truong-hop-suy-than-cap-khi-chay-marathon-185250604110830737.htm