Kidney Disease

How many diabetic patients will develop kidney disease? About 30% with Type 1 (juvenile onset) and 20% to 40% of those with Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes will eventually suffer from kidney disease.
The function of the kidneys is to excrete urine. The heart and kidneys work together to control blood pressure. The kidneys are highly vascular organs, and approximately one-fifth of all the blood pumped by the heart per minute goes to the kidneys. The kidneys are the body's natural filtering and waste-removal system. Blood passes through a system of tiny filters in the kidneys every time the heart beats. This filtering process occurs in millions of tiny filters called glomeruli, which are made up of capillaries. As blood flows through the capillaries, body waste is filtered out into the urine and is passed out of the body through the bladder. The cleansed blood goes out of the kidneys and back into the bloodstream through the veins.
Protein and glucose (sugar) are supposed to be retained, not flushed out of the body in the urine. Running high blood sugar and high blood pressure can damage the kidneys. When small blood vessels in the kidneys become clogged, that starts to interfere with the filtering process. When the kidneys have almost stopped filtering waste out of the blood, you will have renal failure. At first kidney damage may be seen by small amounts of protein, called albumin, in the urine. Damaged kidneys start to leak more protein out through the urine, preventing waste and extra fluid from being removed. Proteinuria is the spilling of larger amounts of protein. Its presence is not always a sign of disease. You will have Diabetic Neuropathy when kidney damage becomes renal failure. When the kidneys cannot cleanse the blood, toxins in the blood reach a critical level and you may require dialysis or a kidney transplant.
In order to treat high blood sugar, you may be prescribed different combinations of diabetic medications, diet and exercise. Your doctor may want you to take a blood pressure medicine like an ACE inhibitor to slow down kidney damage. Once you have kidney damage you can't undo it but you can slow down, and possibly stop, the progress of the disease.
The more uncontrolled your blood sugar is, the more likely you are to have bladder infections. Diabetes can damage nerves making it difficult to empty the bladder. Pressure that results from a full bladder can back up and injure the kidneys. When urine stays in the bladder too long, it can cause infections because bacteria grows rapidly in urine, especially if there is a high level of sugar in it. When you take care of your diabetes, you take care of your kidneys. Call the doctor if you have signs of a bladder infection.

Some symptoms of a bladder infection are:

• Cloudy or bloody urine


• Pain or burning when you urinate


• An urgent need to urinate more and more often

To help prevent or delay kidney disease:

• Control your blood sugar


• Control blood pressure


• Quickly treat any urinary tract infections


• Avoid medications that may damage the kidneys


• Exercise regularly


• Choose a healthy diet


• Avoid drinking alcohol


• Have your kidneys checked once a year, more if you are on certain medications


• Do not use a lot of salt. Salt may cause you to retain a lot of water and it is also hard on blood pressure.