What Causes Diabetes to our Kidneys?
A long periods of high blood glucose levels can severely damage the structure of the kidney.
Diabetes mellitus can impair the ability of the kidneys to filter blood by damaging millions of small blood vessels in them. When this happens, they cannot cleanse the blood properly. Your body will retain more water and salt than it needs, which can lead to weight gain and swollen ankles. Proteinuria may occur as well as accumulation of waste products in the blood.
Diabetes can also cause damage to the nervous system, leading to difficulty in emptying the bladder. Pressure from the full bladder can disrupt kidney function. Also, if the urine remains in the bladder for a long time, it is possible to develop infections due to the rapid growth of bacteria in the urine when there is a high level of blood sugar.
How Many Patients with Diabetes Will Develop Kidney Disease?
About 30 percent of patients with type 1 diabetes and 10 to 40 percent of those with type 2 diabetes will eventually suffer from kidney failure.
What Are The Early Signs Of Kidney Disease In Patients With Diabetes?
The earliest sign of kidney disease is increased albumin content in the urine. This is long before the usual tests done for kidney disease, so it is important to have this screening every year. Increased blood pressure is also possible.
In the early stages of kidney disease there are medications that can prevent the patient from getting worse. When kidney disease is left untreated or established late, the number of patients who develop kidney failure increases. At this stage of kidney damage, waste products begin to accumulate in the blood and dialysis treatment may be required.
Maintaining control of diabetes can reduce the risk of developing severe kidney disease.