Health Information : Diabetic Nephropathy

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What is diabetic nephropathy?

Nephropathy is the deterioration of the kidneys. The final stage of nephropathy is called end-stage renal disease, or ESRD.

Diabetes is the most common cause of ESRD. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can lead to diabetic nephropathy, although type 1 is more likely to lead to ESRD.Diabetic Nephropathy affects the normal functioning of the kidneys that removes waste and extra fluids from the body. This medical condition slowly damages the kidney’s filtering system and leads to kidney failure, which is a life-threatening situation.

What causes diabetic nephropathy?

Hypertension or high blood pressure, is a complication of diabetes that is believed to contribute most directly to diabetic nephropathy. Hypertension is believed to be both the cause of diabetic nephropathyas well as the result of damage that is created by the disease. As kidney disease progresses, physical changes in the kidneys often lead to increased blood pressure. Uncontrolled hypertension can make the progress toward stage five diabetic nephropathy occur more rapidly.

What are the symptoms of Diabetic Nephropathy?

• Swollen feet, ankles, hands or eyes
• Less requirement of insulin
• Loss of appetite Nausea, vomiting and fatigue
• Urge to urinate often
• Worsening blood pressure control
• Presence of protein in urine

Treatment for diabetic nephropathy:

The first and foremost step towards treating Diabetic Nephropathyis to treat diabetes. Controlling your blood sugar levels and hypertension can help in delaying the progress of the disease. In the initial stages, the doctors may recommend you to take medicines for controlling high BP, managing high blood sugar, lower high cholesterol, foster bone health and control protein in urine.

In advanced stages, the patient is left with only two options: Dialysis and Kidney Transplant.