What is Diabetes?
When your body doesn’t have enough insulin, it can’t use the sugar in the bloodstream for energy. This is called diabetes. Diabetes can cause a number of health complications, including damage to your kidneys.
How Does Diabetes Affect the Kidneys?
When your body doesn’t have enough insulin, it can cause a buildup of sugar in your bloodstream. This can lead to damage to the cells of your kidneys, as well as the small blood vessels that filter waste out of your body. Over time, this can lead to kidney disease and even kidney failure.
Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes-Related Kidney Disease
Diabetes-related kidney disease can often be difficult to detect, as the signs and symptoms can be mild or unnoticeable in the early stages. However, if you experience any of the following, it’s important to seek medical advice: frequent urination, fatigue, nausea, swollen ankles, difficulty breathing, and/or frothy or foamy urine.
Risk Factors for Diabetes-Related Kidney Disease
The risk of developing diabetes-related kidney disease increases if you have any of the following risk factors: a family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, being overweight, old age, ethnicity, and/or smoking.
Preventing Diabetes-Related Kidney Disease
The best way to prevent diabetes-related kidney disease is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and manage your diabetes. This includes eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, controlling your blood sugar and blood pressure levels, and taking your diabetes medication as prescribed. It’s also important to get regular checkups with your doctor to monitor your kidney health.
Treating Diabetes-Related Kidney Disease
If you have diabetes-related kidney disease, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes to help slow the progression of the disease. These may include changes to your diet, such as reducing sodium intake, eating more fruits and vegetables, and avoiding processed foods. Your doctor may also recommend medications to help control your blood sugar and blood pressure levels, as well as to reduce your risk of kidney damage.
Living with Diabetes-Related Kidney Disease
If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes-related kidney disease, it’s important to make healthy lifestyle choices to maintain your kidney health. This includes eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and taking your medications as prescribed. It’s also important to get regular checkups with your doctor to monitor your kidney health.
The Bottom Line
Diabetes is a serious condition that can lead to complications, such as kidney disease. If you have diabetes, it’s important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and manage your diabetes to reduce your risk of kidney disease. If you have diabetes-related kidney disease, it’s important to make healthy lifestyle choices to maintain your kidney health.