Ramadan fasting and chronic kidney disease: does estimated glomerular filtration rate change after and before Ramadan? Insights from a mini meta-analysis

Nicola Luigi Bragazzi1–3 1Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), School of Public Health, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; 2Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; 3Università Islamica d'Italia, Lecce, Italy Abstract: Ramadan fasting represents one of the five pillars of the Islam creed. Even though patients are exempted from this religious duty, they may be eager to share this particular moment of the year with their family and peers, taking part in the intense spiritual ceremonies and events that characterize this month. However, there are no guidelines or standardized protocols that can help physicians to properly address the issue of patients with chronic kidney disease fasting in Ramadan and correctly advising them. For this purpose, we carried out a systematic review and a meta-analysis to see whether glomerular filtration rate value changed before and after Ramadan. Our main findings are that: chronic kidney disease patients can safely fast during Ramadan since glomerular filtration rate does not change in a statistically significant way and, even though most studies have been carried out during Ramadan falling in cold seasons, the sensitivity analysis did not reveal any impact of seasonality. Further research in the field is needed. Keywords: chronic kidney disease, glomerular filtration rate, Ramadan fastin