Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located in the middle of the back. They have many functions and are essential for maintaining balance in the body. When the body acquires nutrients, it uses what it needs and sends the rest to the kidneys for disposal. The kidneys also remove harmful products from the body. Unwanted materials accumulate in the blood when the kidneys are dysfunctional.
Diabetes
Diabetes is classified as type 1 and 2. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body fails to produce insulin--a hormone that transports blood glucose into cells in the body. Type 2 diabetes involves insulin resistance--failure of the body to use insulin efficiently. The end result of either type is that blood sugar builds up to dangerously high levels in the blood. When the body is exposed to high levels of sugar for a long time, certain organs and body systems--such as eyes, nerves and kidneys--can suffer damage.
Blood Vessels and Diabetes
The kidney is made up of thousands of nephrons--the part of the kidney that filters blood. Each of these filtering structures contains a group of tiny blood vessels known as the glomeruli. When blood is delivered to the kidneys, the glomeruli remove toxic and waste products from the blood for disposal in urine. High levels of blood sugar, as is the case with diabetes, damage these tiny blood vessels by making them thicker. When this happens, the glomeruli lose their filtering abilities. Consequently, waste products and toxic substances build up in the blood, while protein leaks into urine.
Risk Factors
The National Kidney foundation suggests that about 30 percent of people with type 1 diabetes will suffer kidney damage. Additionally, 10 to 40 percent of type 2 diabetes sufferers will eventually suffer kidney damage. Smoking also increases the risk of developing kidney damage in diabetics. Heredity also plays a role in diabetic kidney damage.
Effects
When diabetes damages blood vessels in the kidneys, the effects are not manifested right away. Therefore, a diabetic patient may be unaware of kidney damage until it is severe. One of the earliest signs of diabetic kidney damage is the presence of small amounts of protein in the urine. As the damage progresses, other symptoms include swelling of the ankles, high blood pressure and frequent urination, especially at night.
Treatment
Treatment of diabetic kidney damage aims to slow down the rate at which the damage occurs. Controlling high blood pressure, or hypertension, and blood glucose levels is important in this type of treatment. Classes of hypertension medications called angiotensin-converting enzyme, or ACE, inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers are used to manage high blood pressure in diabetic patients, as well as protect the kidneys. A physician may prescribe a change in diet, insulin and/or anti-diabetic medication to help control blood sugar levels.
References
- Medline Plus: Diabetic nephropathy
- National Kidney Foundation: Diabetes and Kidney Disease
- "Diabetes and The Kidney: Diabetic Nephropathy: Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment"; Christoph Hasslacher, Sonja BöhmTake; 2004
