FAMILY DOC
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Diabetes Can Cause
Kidney Damage
Be diligent about managing your diabetes
By Sue Jones-Larson, APRN
People who
have diabetes
need to be
extra vigilant
about taking
care of their kidneys. According to
the National Kidney Foundation
(NKF) (www.kidney.org), about
30 percent of patients with Type
1 (juvenile onset) diabetes and
10 percent to 40 percent of those
with Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes
will eventually suffer from kidney
failure.
The American Diabetes
Association (ADA) (www.diabetes.
org) says diabetes can damage the
kidneys and cause them to fail.
There are millions of tiny blood
vessels or capillaries in the kidneys. Their job is to remove waste
products from the blood. The NKF
says diabetes injures these small
blood vessels so they cannot clean
the blood properly. The body will
retain more water and salt than it
should and waste materials will
build up in the blood. High levels of
blood sugar make the kidneys filter
too much blood. In time, the stress
of overwork makes the kidneys lose
their filtering ability. Kidney damage from diabetes is called diabetic
nephropathy.
Kidney disease produces no
symptoms until almost all function
is gone. In addition, diabetes can
also cause damage to the nerves
in your body. If the nerves in the
kidneys are damaged, you may have
difficulty emptying your bladder. If
urine remains in your bladder for
too long, you are at risk for developing an infection.
Diabetic kidney disease takes
many years to develop. Usually 15
to 25 years will pass before kidney
failure occurs, according to the
National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive Kidney Diseases. Here
are some warning signs to watch
out for:
• weight gain;
• ankle swelling;
• more frequent urination at
night;
• high blood pressure;
• nausea;
• increasing fatigue;
• anemia; and
• muscle cramps, especially in
the legs.
As the kidneys fail, your blood
urea nitrogen levels will rise and so
will the level of creatinine in your
blood. If your kidneys are no longer
able to support you – displaying
only 10 percent to 15 percent of
function – dialysis or transplantation may be needed.
Not everyone with diabetes
develops kidney disease, says the
ADA. Your best defense against kidney disease is to take care of yourself and manage your diabetes. Be
sure to monitor your blood glucose
carefully and keep your blood sugar
levels within your target range.
Have your blood, urine and blood
pressure checked at least once a
year. Work to lower your blood
pressure and improve your health
by losing weight, eating less salt,
avoiding alcohol and tobacco and
exercising regularly. Your doctor or
dietitian may put you on a reducedprotein diet to help ease the strain
on the kidneys. Be aware that some
blood pressure drugs raise blood
sugar levels or mask symptoms of
low blood sugar. The ADA says
recent studies suggest angiotensinconverting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors slow kidney disease in addition
to lowering blood pressure.
If any of the warning signs of kidney disease present themselves, be
sure to let your physician know at
once. He or she will refer you to a
nephrologist who will design a plan
of treatment for you.
About the Author
Sue Jones-Larson, APRN, joined Family
Practice Associates in March 2016.
After working for nearly 20 years as an
RN in various hospital departments,
Sue decided to further her education
and graduated as a Board Certified
Family Nurse Practitioner from Eastern
Kentucky University in 2012. She
has over three years of experience
as a nurse practitioner in hospital
and urgent care settings. Sue enjoys
women’s health and diabetes management but can see any patient from a
child to an adult. She is available for
new patient, well child and preventive
adult visits, as well as routine office
visits.
Your best defense
against kidney
disease is to take
care of yourself
and manage your
diabetes.