What are the different uses of the Sevelamer?
The drug Sevelamer, often referred to as a phosphate binder, is a medicine that helps to reduce the concentration of phosphate in the blood. It is used to treat patients with hyperphosphatemia, a condition marked with high serum phosphate phosphate levels. People with chronic kidney failure are the largest group of patients who have problems with high phosphorus levels in their bodies, because the kidneys are organs of the body that exclude phosphorus.
An important use of the Sevelamer is to reduce the concentration of phosphate in the blood. Phosphate is a mineral that has a decisive role in the body because the bone component is important, part of various proteins important for proper body function and serves as an electrolyte in the blood. Although the blood phosphate concentration is carefully regulated by the endocrine system of the body, in some pathological conditions, blood phosphate levels may increase to a dangerous level. Sevelamer can help reduce the concentration of this mineral by binding it in the gastrointestinal tract and prevent its absorption to the bloodriverbed. It can do this because it is a large molecule with many positive charges and can form a chemical bond with a negatively charged phosphate.
Sevelamer is most commonly used in patients with chronic renal failure and is used in particular in patients treated with dialysis, which is a therapeutic measure that filters blood artificially and replaces part of the kidney function. In healthy patients, the kidneys filter blood and get rid of the bodies of excess phosphate by secreting it into the urine. People with dysfunction of their kidneys cannot properly dispose of their phosphate and therefore accumulate high levels of phosphate in the blood.
Not all patients with kidney failure must take Sevelamer. This is often prescribed in patients with kidney disease at a final stage who have serum phosphates higher than 5.5 milligrams per deciliter. The dose of drug often increases over time slowly until the body reaches the level of serum phosphateZI 3.5 to 5.5.
According to FDA Federal Medicinal Administration (FDA), the only approved use of the Sevelamer is the treatment of high blood phosphate levels in patients with chronic renal failure. However, some scientists have considered using drugs to treat high blood cholesterol. Others have suggested that elevated phosphate levels in otherwise healthy patients could be a risk factor for heart disease and recommend as much intervention as possible to reduce blood phosphorus levels.