Causes And Diagnosis Of Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetes and high blood pressure are two major leading causes of kidney disease. If kidney disease is caused by high blood pressure, we call it hypertensive nephropathy. In the same way, diabetic nephropathy is a damage to your kidney caused by diabetes with. If untreated timely, it may progress into kidney failure. People with kidney disease often have diabetes, but it does not mean everyone with diabetes has kidney damage.

Causes of diabetic nephropathy

1. Common cause

The kidneys have tiny blood vessels which help filter wastes out of the body. If you have diabetes, your blood sugar is usually very high, which can destroy your blood vessels. For a very long time, if you do not recognise your high blood sugar, the kidneys may be not able to do its job well. Later, kidneys may stop working completely, which is known as kidney failure.

2. Contributory or predisposing factors:

Obesity is a major factor in the progression of diabetic nephropathy.

Systemic hypertension contributes to the progression of diabetic nephropathy.

Uncontrolled hypertension and poor glycemic control also lead to the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy, and even cause end-stage renal disease.

Hyperlipidemia is also a recognized factor in the progression of diabetic nephropathy.

3. It is more likely for you to have diabetic nephropathy, including:

You also have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

If you smoke, you have a high risk of having diabetic nephropathy.

Family history of nephropathy may increase the risk of progression to end-stage renal failure in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics (especially Mexican Americans) have a higher risk of diabetic nephropathy.

Diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy is diagnosed using simple tests. The tests are used to check for a protein called albumin in the urine. Urine does not usually contain protein. But in the early stages of kidney disease, before you feel any symptoms, some protein may be found in your urine due to the injured kidney function, which can not filter protein out of the body.

Finding your kidney damage more early can keep it from getting worse. So it is important for diabetic patients to do regular tests:

1. If you have type 1 diabetes (it refers that when the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, type 1 diabetes presents), getting a urine test every year is necessary for you after you have had diabetes for 5 years.

2. If your child has diabetes, you should let your child do yearly testing when your child is 10 years old and has had diabetes for 5 years.

3. If you have type 2 diabetes (called non-insulin-dependent diabetes), you should begin testing at the time you are diagnosed with diabetes.

This article introduces the causes and diagnosis of diabetes nephropathy, and I hope they will do some help for you. Any question or doubt, you can consult our on-line services. If they are too busy to answer you, you can leave us a message to kidney-cares@hotmail.com, and we will give you response at any time.