Diabetes Effects on the Kidneys

Diabetes mellitus, or diabetes as it is more commonly known, is an illness in which your body can't use normal amounts of insulin as it should or it doesn't make enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone that lets glucose depart circulating blood and enter the cells. When glucose enters the cells, it provides them with energy needed to run the body. When a person has diabetes, the glucose keeps flowing in the blood and is incapable of leaving. Diabetes is capable of damaging many parts of the body, especially the kidneys.

Signs of kidney disease

• An increase of albumin (water-soluble protein) being secreted in the urine is the first sign of diabetic kidney disease. You will physically see symptoms of this as ankles swell and you gain weight. You will experience increased urination in the evening and high blood pressure. This is why people with diabetes need to have their blood pressure, blood and urine checked at least once a year. If you're correctly monitored by a doctor, you will have better control over diabetes and can receive early treatment for kidney disease and high blood pressure.

Late signs of kidney disease

• When kidneys begin to fail, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels will increase, in addition to the level of creatinine in the blood. Call a doctor immediately if you experience any of these symptoms: muscle cramps, queasiness, vomiting, a loss of appetite, fragility, tiredness, itching, low blood count and a reduced need for insulin.

Prevention

• Kidney disease takes a long time to progress, usually 15 to 25 years. Diabetics can help to minimize their risk of developing diabetes by watching their cholesterol, diet and weight, frequently checking their blood pressure and keeping it at or under 130/85, strictly monitoring blood-glucose levels and taking prescribed medication such as ACE or ARB, and not smoking.

Dialysis and Transplantation

• When kidney failure occurs, diabetics must receive either dialysis or a kidney transplant. Dialysis is a short-term treatment for people with diabetes. The survival rate of transplantation is the same with nondiabetics as it is with diabetics. However, because of pre-existing conditions involving the heart, nerves and eyes that can cause complications, diabetics have a higher death rate.

Things to remember

• More and more people are being diagnosed as diabetic. As diabetes rises in the population, so does kidney disease, because it is most common among people with diabetes. That is why regular screening for kidney disease is so important for people with diabetes. The risks of kidney disease can be minimized if diabetics take certain measures right away. Diabetics also should avoid eating an excessive amount of protein, which can be harmful.