Diabetic nephropathy is damage to your kidneys caused by diabetes. In severe cases it can lead to kidney failure. But not everyone with diabetes has kidney damage.
Causes of diabetic nephropathy
The kidneys have many tiny blood vessels that filter waste from your blood. High blood sugar from diabetes can destroy these blood vessels. Over time, the kidney isn’t able to do its job as well. Later it may stop working completely. This is called kidney failure.
Certain things make you more likely to get diabetic nephropathy. If you also have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or if you smoke, your risk is higher.
Symptoms
There are no symptoms in the early stages. So it’s important to have regular urine tests to find kidney damage early. Sometimes early kidney damage can be reversed. As your kidneys are less able to do their job, you may notice swelling in your body, most often in your feet and legs.
Diagnosis
The problem is diagnosed using simple tests that check for a protein called albumin in the urine. Urine doesn’t usually contain protein. But in the early stages of kidney damage-before you have any symptoms-some protein may be found in your urine, because your kidneys aren’t able to filter it out the way they should. Finding kidney damage early can keep it from getting worse. So it’s important for people with diabetes to have regular testing, usually every year.
Treatments
Control your blood sugar
Uncontrolled blood sugar in your blood may lead to occurrence and progression of diabetic kidney disease. The strain on kidneys will be decreased and therefore renal function decline is delayed by strict control of blood suger. In early stage, tight control of blood sugar even can reverse kidney damage.
Control blood pressure
High blood pressure can increase the stress on kidneys and is a major accelerator in worsening renal function. ACE inhibitors are first-line medications to lower blood pressure in Kidney Disease. It can delay the renal function decline and reduce proteinuria. In addition, it is effective in slowing the progression of diabetic retinopathy and the development of proliferative retinopathy. Some patients may need multiple kinds of blood pressure medicines like calcium channel blockers and beta-blockers and diuretics to control blood pressure.
Superfine Chinese Medicine Osmotherapy
Superfine Chinese Medicine Osmotherapy is a natural external therapy for diabetic nephropathy. It can dilate blood vessels and improve microcirculation in body. It stimulates the self-renewal capacity of impaired kidney tissues and enhances renal function.
However,the therapy is not appropriate for all patients with diabetic kidney disease. Talk with our online doctor to see if you are suitable for the therapy?
Immunotherapy
Immune system disorder is one of major causes for diabetic kidney damage. The immune system attacks kidneys by mistakes, resulting in kidney damage. Immunotherapy uses advanced medical technolgies to correct dysfunction of immune system, rebuild immune system balance, and reverse the impaired kidney damage.
Kidney replacement therapy
The last choice to keep the patients alive is Dialysis and Kidney Transplant if kidneys fail to work. Dialysis removes wastes from body, but has few effects in improving renal function. The patient’s kidney is replaced with a healthy kidney through kidney transplant. which can prolong their life span. However, the patients with serious complications of diabetes are at higher risk than patients without diabetes.