The main work of kidney is to filter the blood to remove waste products of the body’s functions. The Kidney is made up of millions of closely packed small blood vessels to filter the blood. If your blood glucose levels are high most of the time, you will increase your chances of suffering serious Kidney disease.
Symptoms and Signs of Kidney Disease :
- It is important to prevent the kidney becoming affected in diabetes .A tight blood sugar control and a tight blood pressure control goes a long way in preventing the kidneys from getting affected in diabetes.
- Usually the first indication of damage to the kidney is due to diabetes. It is the appearance of protein mostly albumin in the urine. The protein which we all carry in our blood ,leaks through the glomeruli or small filtering tubes and appears in the urine. It is detected when your doctor does a routine urine protein test .The presence of protein in the urine produces no discomfort and the person is not aware of its presence unless the urine is tested.
- A urinary microalbuminuria test detects the protein ,in micro quantities, much before the normal urine test is does. At this stage the kidney damage is reversible with the help of tight blood sugar control and tight blood pressure control.
- As the amount of protein loss in the urine increase ,the level of it in the blood falls below the normal range. Then some of the water in the blood vessels seeps into the tissue under the skin to produce a swelling called Edema.
- As damage to the small blood vessels continue to progress ,the kidneys will have more and more problems getting rid of waste products.
- Another test that measures the levels of waste products in the blood is called a Creatine test.
- If damage continues the kidneys will stop working. Then the alternatives are rental dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Beware of Infection:
Another way you can protect your kidneys is to be on the alert for kidney and bladder infections.
A bladder infection usually produces an urge to urinate frequently. This may be every 15 to 30 mins- sometimes more often. Urination may be painful and sometimes the urine is bloody. An infection of one or both kidneys produces back pain near the lowest ribs ,chills ,high fever and often cloudy urine .
Always keep check on your blood pressure .When you have diabetes ,high blood pressure adds to the damage that high blood glucose can cause in the small blood vessels of the kidney. An important way you can help your kidneys is to take steps to prevent high blood pressure i.e .hypertension and to keep blood pressure even lower that the levels advised in normal people.
Make sure your blood pressure is checked each time you visit your doctor.
If you have any of these signs ,see your doctor right away. A urine sample will be checked . If you have an infection ,your doctor may prescribe a drug to treat it.
