Diabetic Kidney Disease
Diabetes is the single leading cause of kidney failure in all over world. Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose (blood sugar) to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy. Nephropathy, also called diabetic kidney disease, is a condition that affects one-third or more of people who have had Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes for at least 20 years. About 10 to 40 percent of people with Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes also have kidney disease.
Treatment for diabetic kidney disease focuses on slowing the progression to kidney failure. Controlling high blood pressure and blood sugar levels, participating in a doctor-supervised exercise and weight loss program and eating a special diet can help.
When kidney failure develops, the kidneys lose their ability to remove waste products from the body. The first signs of nephropathy are small amounts of protein in the urine and elevated levels of creatinine (a waste product) in the blood. Unfortunately, most people do not experience symptoms until their kidneys have lost much of their ability to function.
When kidneys function at only five to ten percent of their capacity, they can no longer process most of the waste in the body and cannot sustain a person’s life. This condition is called end-stage renal disease. Treatment options include either kidney dialysis or transplantation. In most cases, renal transplantation is often preferred for a better quality of life.
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