Kidney disease markedly increases an individual’s susceptibility to fluoride toxicity.
The kidneys are responsible for ridding the body of ingested fluoride, and thereby preventing the buildup of toxic levels of fluoride in the body.
In healthy adults, the kidneys are able to excrete approximately 50% of an ingested dose of fluoride.
However, in adults with kidney disease the kidneys may excrete as little as 10 to 20% of an ingested dose – thus increasing the body burden of fluoride and increasing an individual’s susceptibility to fluoride poisoning (e.g. renal osteodystrophy).
The bone changes commonly found among patients with advanced kidney disease closely resemble the bone changes found among individuals with the osteomalacic-type of skeletal fluorosis. This raises the possibility that some individuals with kidney disease are suffering from undiagnosed skeletal fluorosis.
Fluoride Risks for Kidney Patients
Fluoride
