Life Span Of People With Diabetes On Dialysis

Diabetes is one leading cause of kidney failure. In the United States, about half of the patients that enter into kidney dialysis are diabetic renal failure patients. When diabetes patients develop the sign of end stage renal failure, dialysis will be needed to sustain their life.

Generally speaking, diabetic renal failure patients begin dialysis earlier than non-diabetes patients and their life span is relatively shorter than other kidney disease patients. This is because diabetes can cause damages to blood vessels in the whole body and it can cause many complications such as high blood pressure, heart disease and cardiovascular problems.

The mortality rate for end stage renal failure patients is about 22%. If patients have diabetes, the mortality rate is about 25% annually. That is to say, living more than 4 years with diabetes on dialysis is quite hard.

With proper measures and treatment, patients with diabetes on dialysis can live longer. The following are the factors that can help prolong life expectancy for diabetic kidney disease patients that are on dialysis.

Well control of high blood glucose

High blood sugar is the underlying cause of renal failure and dialysis. So if it is well controlled, further renal damages will be prevented. High blood pressure and other complications will be reduced and the risk factors that are threatening the patient’s life will be much lowered.

Reducing proteinuria

Treatment for proteinuria is very crucial for diabetes patients. Once there is clinical proteinuria (daily protein in urine is more than 0.5g), there will be irreversible decline of kidney functions. The average life span after proteinuria is about 10 years. Early and effective treatment for proteinuria can significantly slow down illness progression and protect residual kidney functions.

Ensure the adequacy of dialysis

If you are on dialysis, it is very important to ensure the adequacy of dialysis or it can cause some harms to the body.