Index
- Diabetes and the kidneys: What you need to know about kidney complications of the disease
- Diabetes and kidneys, what complications?
- How does kidney disease progress?
- How to control kidney health in case of diabetes, what to do?
- Why detect the renal consequences of diabetes as early as possible?
- What can be done to prevent diabetic nephropathy?
Diabetes and the kidneys: What you need to know about kidney complications of the disease
Considered by many to be one of the greatest scourges of this century, diabetes can have serious health consequences. This disease results from the pancreas' failure to produce enough insulin and the body's response to this hormone. As a result, blood sugar levels rise, leading to symptoms that are very characteristic of diabetes. These include untimely thirst, frequent urination and difficulty in healing. Over time, diabetes can affect certain organs by preventing them from functioning properly. Among the organs most affected are the kidneys. In what follows, you will learn a little more about the relationship between diabetes and the kidneys.
Diabetes and kidneys, what complications?
As mentioned above, diabetes is associated with high blood sugar levels. Over time, this high blood sugar can affect and damage kidney function. The main function of the kidneys is to filter the blood in order to eliminate waste products through the production of urine. Excess sugar in the blood can interfere with this function. The kidney complications of diabetes are called diabetic nephropathy. They are also promoted by aging. As you can see, the risk of kidney failure is higher in diabetics.
How does kidney disease progress?
In the very beginning, nephropathy begins with the destruction of small vessels in the kidneys by excess blood sugar. This alteration promotes the accumulation of waste products in the kidneys and throughout the body, causing blood pressure to rise. Urine also begins to load itself with albumin, a molecule that should not be in the urine. Its presence thus means the beginning of the change in renal permeability. But to better understand this relationship between diabetes and the kidneys, find out more about the development of these kidney complications below.
- The onset of kidney damage is characterized by the appearance of traces of albumin in the urine. This stage is called early kidney disease. Three successive determinations are necessary to determine this phase. Albumin is between 30 and 300 mg per 24 hours at this stage.
- Next comes clinical nephropathy with microalbuminuria exceeding 300 milligrams per 24 hours. It is also characterized by protein-containing urine.
- The third stage of nephropathy is renal failure. Dialysis is the only treatment available at this stage.
How to control kidney health in case of diabetes, what to do?
Diabetic nephropathy is quite difficult to determine because it evolves silently. As such, there are no specific symptoms to identify it. In any case, when it is very serious, it can cause an increase in blood pressure and the occurrence of oedema.
This almost total absence of symptoms requires regular monitoring of kidney health in diabetics. Indeed, when kidney disease is not treated properly, it can lead to the development of other cardiovascular diseases, and even death. It is therefore important to be attentive to any abnormal permeability of the kidneys. To do this, early detection should be done every year in people with diabetes. If the presence of albumin is important, the attending physician should reinforce the follow-up and controls and adapt the treatment according to the evolution of the albumin level. Note that this control is simply done by using a strip that detects the presence of protein in the urine. A blood test is also taken to determine the amount of creatinine in the blood and the filtration index of the kidneys.
Why detect the renal consequences of diabetes as early as possible?
Detecting diabetic nephropathy in its early stages is very important because at this stage the condition is completely reversible. Minimal lesions can be treated and the diabetic person will recover full kidney function. On the contrary, if kidney damage is only detected very late, it is very likely that it will lead to kidney failure. And kidney failure is known to be irreversible. Moreover, the patient must not miss a single dialysis session to be able to live a normal daily life.
What can be done to prevent diabetic nephropathy?
Kidney damage is not something to be taken lightly, especially if you are diabetic. Indeed, this disease can promote kidney pathologies. Rest assured that there are certain precautions to be taken to ensure that diabetes and kidneys do not cause any serious complications.
Thus, to prevent diabetic nephropathy, the basis is the adoption of a good lifestyle and a good dietary hygiene in order to balance one's diabetes. Indeed, even if no treatment currently exists to cure diabetes, it is quite possible to slow down its evolution and prevent its complications. To do so, the diabetic person must :
- Adapt your diet to always control and stabilize your blood sugar level
- Get regular physical activity. Walking or a little jogging is enough to maintain your health
- Monitoring and regulating blood pressure
- Correctly follow the treatments prescribed by the attending physician
