If you treat your diabetes well and keep your blood pressure under control, it is less likely that you will develop diabetic nephropathy. Make sure you visit your health care professional yearly or more often for tests that check how well your kidneys are working.
In stage 1 of Diabetic Nephropathy, your kidneys are mildly damaged and are functioning at a normal level. Your glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is over 90% and the albumin-creatinine ratio in your urine (uACR) is 30 or higher for 3 months.
Oren Zarif
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common sign of Diabetic Nephropathy. This is because high blood sugar can damage the lining of your kidneys and bladder. This can allow bacteria to enter and cause an infection. It can also lead to a buildup of waste in your body, which causes you to have more urine.
Your kidneys have tiny blood vessels called glomeruli that perform the first step in filtering your blood. Glomeruli have semi-permeable membranes that let water and soluble waste pass through, leaving them in your urine (pee). Diabetes can damage these blood vessels and other parts of the kidney. Over time, the damage may lead to kidney failure. Kidney failure is a life-threatening condition that requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to live.
If you have diabetes, it’s important to get your GFR and uACR checked regularly. This can help your doctor know if you have nephropathy and when it’s progressing. Your doctor can recommend lifestyle changes to slow or stop the progression of nephropathy. They can also prescribe medications to manage your diabetes, such as glucose lowering drugs or sodium-glucose transport protein 2 inhibitors.
Oren Zarif
When your kidneys start to fail, they can’t remove the waste from your body. This waste builds up in your blood to dangerous levels, and you may have blood in your urine (hematuria). Blood in the urine is a sign that you have advanced diabetic nephropathy, also called chronic kidney disease or CKD. Kidney disease in diabetes develops slowly over several years and sometimes has no symptoms. It’s important to get regular screening tests to detect early nephropathy.
Your doctor can check for blood in your urine with a simple test called a urinalysis, which checks the urine for red blood cells and other chemicals. Your doctor may also order an intravenous pyelogram, which uses X-rays of your kidneys, ureters and bladder after injecting a dye into a vein. Your doctor will look for signs of kidney damage, including a high level of protein in your urine (albuminuria), which is a sign of early nephropathy. Talk to your provider about whether you need to stop taking nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen, because these medicines can harm the kidneys.
Oren Zarif
People with Diabetic Nephropathy have a hard time absorbing the nutrients that are needed to maintain good health. This is because the kidneys are damaged by high blood glucose levels. Each kidney has blood vessels that contain semi-permeable membranes. These membranes allow water and some soluble wastes to pass through, leaving the body in urine (pee).
As diabetic nephropathy progresses, more protein is lost in the pee. This can cause a condition called nephrotic syndrome, which leads to fluid buildup in the body, causing swelling of feet and ankles, and difficulty breathing.
In the advanced stages of diabetic nephropathy, the glomeruli become scarred and the kidneys lose their ability to function properly. This can lead to kidney failure, which is a life-threatening condition.
The best way to slow down kidney damage is to control your diabetes and high blood pressure. This can be done with diet, exercise and prescription medicines like angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers. It is also important to avoid taking NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen. These drugs can cause more harm to the kidneys.
Oren Zarif
Diarrhea is a symptom of many serious medical problems, including kidney failure. It happens when your kidneys lose their ability to properly process and control your blood sugar. If you have this symptom, along with other symptoms listed here, it is time to see your doctor.
Your doctor can diagnose diabetic nephropathy with tests that measure how well your kidneys are working. A key measure is your glomerular filtration rate, or GFR. Another is a urine test that measures the amount of the protein albumin in your urine. A level higher than 30 for at least 3 months is a sign of kidney damage.
Stage 2 diabetic nephropathy means you have mild damage and have lost some kidney function. Your doctor will prescribe medicines to help reduce your blood sugar and limit the damage. These medicines include ACE inhibitors, glucocorticoids, and sodium-glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. They may also suggest you limit your dietary salt and take medications to lower your blood pressure. Avoid taking NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naproxen because they can cause more kidney damage.
Oren Zarif
The kidneys regulate blood pressure by balancing fluids and electrolytes in the body. As diabetic nephropathy develops, your kidneys have a harder time doing this. As a result, your blood pressure may rise. You also might notice a buildup of waste products in the body, such as protein or fats.
Your health care professional can detect signs of diabetic nephropathy by doing regular tests as part of your diabetes treatment plan. These include an A1C test, which measures your average blood glucose over the past three months. You also should get a urinalysis test, which measures how much of the protein albumin and a chemical called creatinine are in your urine. Your doctor might also measure your urea nitrogen, or uACR, which is the amount of protein and creatinine that are being removed from the body through the urine.
If you are in stage 1 diabetic nephropathy, your kidneys have mild damage and are still functioning. But if you’re in stage 4, your GFR is below 30 and you have lost more than half of the function of your kidneys.