Don’t Let Diabetes Damage Your Kidneys
If you have diabetes, your kidneys are at risk of being damaged by the disease. Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure in the United States. Many people with diabetes develop chronic kidney disease (CKD), but most people do not have enough damage to cause complete kidney failure.
Diabetes results when excess sugar builds up in the blood. When we eat, our bodies convert foods such as carbohydrates to sugar which is also known as glucose. The body uses insulin to move glucose from the blood into the cells which use it as a source of energy. When the body does not produce enough insulin or when the cells are not able to use the insulin correctly, glucose remains in the blood and can build up to dangerously high levels.
The kidneys are bean-shaped organs that are about the size of your fist. They are located just below your ribs near your back. The kidneys act as a filtration system for the body. Blood flows through millions of tiny blood vessel clusters in the kidneys that act as filters to remove waste products and toxins from the blood. These waste products are transferred into urine and passed out of the body. Nutrients such as protein as well as blood cells are too large to pass through the filters and are left in the blood.
Excess sugar in the blood caused by diabetes can damage these blood vessels, making the filters less efficient. This causes the kidneys to work harder to remove waste products which can eventually lead to kidney failure. Early in this process, the kidneys are able to work harder to filter the blood, which means there may not be any symptoms that kidney damage is taking place. Often the kidneys have lost almost all function before symptoms appear.
Symptoms of kidney failure include upset stomach, tiredness, poor sleep, poor appetite, difficulty concentrating, and swelling in the hands and feet. As kidneys fail, waste products and extra fluid are no longer removed from the blood. Instead of passing out of the body in urine, these waste products build up in the body, which can lead to serious illness and death. People with complete kidney failure need to have their blood filtered through dialysis or undergo a kidney transplant.
If you have diabetes, it is important for the health of your kidneys to keep your blood glucose under control to limit kidney damage. It is also important to control high blood pressure, as this can also contribute to kidney damage. Your healthcare provider can test your blood and your urine to check your kidney function. If you have diabetes, you should have your kidney function checked at least once a year. Your doctor can advise you on ways to control your blood sugar and lower your blood pressure to help protect your kidneys.
Denise DeWitt is a freelance writer for EmpowHER.com.
Sources:
American Diabetes Association. Living With Diabetes: Kidney Damage. Web. February 13, 2012.
American Diabetes Association. Living With Diabetes: Kidney Disease (Nephropathy). Web. February 13, 2012.
http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/kidney-disease-nephropathy.html
National Kidney & Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Kidney Disease of Diabetes. Web. February 13, 2012.
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/Kudiseases/pubs/kdd/
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Prevent diabetes problems: keep your kidneys healthy. Web. February 13, 2012.
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/complications_kidneys/
Category: Featured Articles, Prevention
