High Creatinine in Diabetic Nephropathy

Why creatinine is high in Diabetic Nephropathy? Diabetic Nephropathy is a micro vascular complication of Diabetes, a secondary renal disease caused by Diabetes. For Diabetics, high creatinine is an indicator for severe renal damage, a reflection for worsening of diabetic kidney disease. The patients need to be clear about their underlying illness condition so they should be clear what high creatinine means and what can be done for them.

What are the causes of high creatinine in Diabetes? Creatinine is a by-product of creatine, a product produced from muscle. In a relative period of time, a person has stable muscle mass. The serum creatinine is determined by glomerular filtration rate (GFR). However, at early stage of kidney disease, GFR is slightly lowered, but serum creatinine still stays within normal range due to strong kidney compensatory abilities. When creatinine begins to rise, the kidneys have been severely impaired. Long-term of Diabetes can be the claim for glomerular filter damage. Poorly controlled Diabetes can impair glomerular basement membrane. The early stage symptoms of kidney damage mainly include protein in urine and swelling in limbs, eyelids, etc. The high creatinine in Diabetics means severe kidney damage.

Dietary change combined with medicines can treat moderate elevation of serum creatinine. The patients need to reduce the intake of heavy fat and protein content foods, and restrict bean products and meat, which will help to reduce further buildup of creatinine and reduce filtration pressure of the kidneys. Strenuous exercise is not suggested, but aerobic exercise such as Tai Qi and a short walk will be beneficial.

A high creatinine together with severe complications such as shortness of breath, extreme weakness, vomiting and nausea may require dialysis treatment. However, one thing to note is that, dialysis helps to relieve complications, but don’t help to improve the kidneys. For high creatinine in Diabetics, the proper way is to repair filtration functions of injured glomerular cells and control the illness condition from its pathological basis so as to avoid further kidney condition deterioration and presence of much severer complications.