Can Patients with Chronic Liver Diseases Withstand Ramadan Fasting?

Document Type : Short Communication

Authors

1 zagazig university, internal medicine department

2 Assistant professor of tropical medicine faculty of medicine, zagazig university, Egypt.

Abstract

Ramadan is a sacred month for Muslims all around the world. During this lunar-based month, healthy adult Muslims are obligated to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, or using oral medications from predawn to sunset. Followers will typically eat just after sunset and again before dawn (1). The Islamic lunar Hijri calendar is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian solar calendar, and therefore, the month of Ramadan can occur in any season of the year. The hours spent on fasting can vary from 12 to 18 h, depending on the seasonal and regional features, and this ultimately will affect the ability of individuals and patients to fast. In the North Pole, the day time is very long and may reach up to 22 hours; toward the equator the temperature and humidity are high. These entire environmental factors directly decrease the ability of patients to complete one month of continuous fasting. The studies focusing the impact of fasting during Ramadan on different liver diseases are scarce (2,3) and that is why no structured guidelines for fasting and liver diseases(4) have been set up.

Keywords

References

  1.  Sakr AH. Fasting in Islam. J Am Diet Assoc. 1975; 67(1):17-21.
  2. Elnadry MH, Nigm IA, Abdel Aziz IM, Elshafee AM, Elazhary SS, Abdel Hafeez MA, et al. Effect of Ramadan fasting on Muslim patients with chronic liver diseases. J Egypt Soc Parasitol. 2011; 41(2):337-46.
  3. Elfert AA, AbouSaif SA, Kader NA, AbdelAal E, Elfert AY, Moez AT, et al. A multicenter pilot study of the effects of Ramadan fasting on patients with liver cirrhosis. Tanta Med Sci J. 2011; 6(3):25-33.
  4. Staff Members of Tropical Medicine Department. Liver disease and fasting during the month of Ramadan. Afro Egypt J Infect Endem Dis. 2014; 4(2):112-3.
  5. Mohamed SY, Emara MH, Hussien HI, Elsadek HM. Changes in portal blood flow and liver functions in cirrhotics during Ramadan fasting in the summer; a pilot study. Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench. 2016; 9(3):180-8.
  6. Kareem I, Bavikar J, Asegaonkar S, Aghade S, Pagdhune A, Thorat A. Effect of Ramadan fasting on hepatic function in healthy adults. Paripex Indian J Res. 2016; 5(3):373-4.
Journal of Nutrition,Fasting and Health
Volume 4, Issue 4
December 2016
Pages 122-123

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History

  • Receive Date: 13 November 2016
  • Revise Date: 20 December 2016
  • Accept Date: 03 December 2016

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