A kidney disease caused due to long term diabetes, as 15 years or more, is also known as Kimmelstiel-Wilson syndrome and intercapillary glomerulonephritis. Long term diabetes’ kidney disease regarded as the main cause of dialysis, characterized by nephrotic syndrome.
Generally kidney defects, diseases, and infections are caused in diabetics due to persistent high levels of blood sugar that pass into urine in order to be secreted out. It can be found in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. In Type1 patients, insulin production is diminished, and in Type2 patients, once called non-insulin diabetes mellitus, or adult onset diabetes results as insulin deficiency or insulin resistance.
Uncontrolled sugar levels however are fatal for both types of diabetics. Cardiovascular diseases, impairment of several body organs, muscle weakness, nephropathy, blindness, memory loss, artery diseases, and most commonly heightened healing defects are some of the defects and ailments caused due to excessive hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.
Once detected, apart from blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol levels are a must to be watched closely and maintained. As diabetics with high cholesterol levels are more at risk than other diabetic nephropathics.
When undergoing a kidney disorder it is the biggest concern for diabetics to get hold of the defect or disease at the proper time. Without the knowledge of being encountering nephropathy, a diabetic might lose the chance of recovery for ever. So it is important to notice any unusual body changes that become evident and keeping their track.
The primary symptoms such as pain at the back area at point where kidneys reside in body are generally referred to as muscular pains. Regardless of high sugar levels which cause excessive urination, in nephropathy, durations in between urination are prolonged and the quantity of urine decreases. The patient feels it difficult to urine in one go, and has to get rid of it in short intervals. Urine color also changes to some extent with evident foam in urine and somewhat increased bad smell.
Excessive sweating, joint pain, anorexia; loss of appetite, skin itchiness, excess of cold and body shivering, oedema or edema; swollen feet and legs, swollen eye surroundings, excessive feeling of tiredness, nausea or vomiting with a pressure on the head, troubled sleep and fatigue. Other minor symptoms include malaise; general ill feeling, and frequented hiccups.
With all these symptoms a patient should go straight for clinical checkups, examinations and treatments. It should be kept in mind that a primary level of nephropathy is not evident in ultrasounds therefore extensive urine tests are required to evaluate the level of damage the kidneys have encountered.
The amount of protein content secreted in urine; proteinuria, basically determines damage level which microalbuminuria test shows. A routine urinalysis is also effective indicator of prevailing kidney defects and ailments. Along with urine tests, blood tests are also important to keep checks because serum creatinine and BUN may also increase as a result of kidney damage progression. UTI infections are also found in kidney infections, as the urine contains more chemicals than normal urine does.
It is important to control diabetes levels and keep it controlled. In this way not only diabetic nephropathy but many other diabetes side effects and diseases can be prevented.
