Diabetic Nephropathy (kidney damage)

World Diabetes Day is on the 14 November and it’s a good opportunity to highlight the causal relationship between diabetes and kidney damage.

Type 1 and type 2 Diabetes can lead to Diabetic kidney damage and kidney failure if poorly controlled. It’s the leading cause of kidney failure in developed countries. The options for end stage kidney failure are either dialysis or a kidney transplant. Prevention with education is vital to decrease this epidemic globally

Patients with Diabetes may have their filtration system in the kidneys affected over many years. This leads to some of the following symptoms:

• Poor blood pressure control
• Protein in the urine
• Swelling of feet and body
• Reduced need for insulin or diabetes medicine
• Confusion or difficulty concentrating
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Persistent itching
• Fatigue

Leading a healthy lifestyle and ensuring that your chronic medical conditions are well controlled may halt progression or reverse kidney damage.

Some of the risk factors for progression are

• Uncontrolled blood sugar (hyperglycaemia)
• Poorly controlled high blood pressure
• Being a smoker
• High blood cholesterol
• Obesity
• A family history of diabetes and kidney disease
• Use of chronic pain medications

Kidney education and prevention is vital and may delay or halt progression of kidney damage to kidney failure. Please ask your doctor for regular kidney screening with blood and urine tests. It’s important to know your kidney status especially if you are diabetic.