Diabetic Nephropathy
What is diabetic nephropathy?
Diabetes can affect many parts of
the body, including the kidneys. In healthy kidneys, many tiny
blood vessels remove waste products from your body. These
vessels can be damaged if diabetes is not controlled. This
damage can cause kidney disease, which is also called
nephropathy (say: nef-rah-puh-thee). If the damage is bad
enough, your kidneys could stop working.
How do I know if diabetes has hurt my
kidneys?
Your
doctor will test your urine for protein. This test will tell
your doctor if there is a problem with the way your kidneys
are working. Your doctor may also want to do a blood test to
see how much damage has been done to the kidneys. Your
doctor will find out if it is diabetes or something else that
is hurting your kidneys.
Unless
the damage is severe, you probably will not have any symptoms.
If your kidneys stop working, your feet and ankles may swell.
You also might feel weak or not want to eat.
What can I do to slow down the
damage?
The
following are some of the most important things you can
do to protect your kidneys:
-
Keep your
blood pressure lower than 130 over 80. Your doctor may give
you medicine to help lower your blood pressure.
-
Check your
blood sugar level (also called your A1C level) often. Keep
your A1C level below 7 percent. Your doctor may give you
medicine to help lower your blood sugar level.
- Stick to your diet. Ask your
doctor how many calories and carbohydrates and how much
protein you should eat.
-
Be
physically active every day.
- Take the medicines your doctor
prescribes for you. Check with your doctor before taking any
new medicines. This includes vitamins, herbal medicines and
over-the-counter medicines.
-
Keep all of
your doctor appointments.
-
Stop
smoking.
What happens if my kidneys stop
working?
Even
with the right treatments, diabetic nephropathy can get worse
over time. Your kidneys could stop working. This is called
kidney failure. If this happens, waste products build up in
your body. This can cause vomiting, weakness, confusion and
coma.
If you have
kidney failure, your doctor will refer you for dialysis (say:
die-al-uh-sis). In dialysis, a machine is used to take waste
products out of the blood. One kind of dialysis has to be done
in a clinic. For another kind of dialysis, the machine is so
small it can be strapped to your body while you go about your
daily activities.
Source
Diabetic Nephropathy: Common
Questions (American Family Physician July 1, 2005,
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050701/96.html)
