At a point when our bodies process the protein we eat, the procedure creates waste products. In kidneys, millions of tiny blood vessels act as filters since they have even tinier holes in them. As blood flows through these vessels, little molecules such as waste items may press through the gaps. These waste items turn out to be a part of the urine. Helpful substances, such as protein and red blood cells are too enormous to go through the gaps in the filter and stay in the blood.

Diabetes and kidneys: Diabetes can harm the kidneys. Abnormal amounts of glucose make the kidneys filter a lot of blood. After a couple of years, they begin to spill and helpful protein is thereby, lost in urine. Having low protein levels in the urine is called micro albuminuria.

Medication: When kidney disease is analyzed on time, during micro albuminuria, a few medications may keep kidney disease from getting worse. Having elevated levels of protein in the urine is called macro albuminuria. When kidney disease is looked up some other time during macro albuminuria, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) usually follows.

Causes: Strain on the organs may cause the kidneys to lose their filtering capacity. Waste items then begin to develop in the blood. Finally, the kidneys start to fail. This failure, ESRD, is intense. A patient with ESRD needs a kidney transplant or a blood filtration by a machine (dialysis).

Other complications: Individuals with diabetes will probably have other kidney-related issues such as bladder infections and nerve damages in the bladder.

Preventing complications: Not everybody with diabetes goes through a kidney disease. Elements that can impact kidney disease improvement include genetics, blood-sugar control and blood pressure. The more a person keeps diabetes and blood pressure under control, the lower the chances of getting a kidney disease.

Keeping your glucose level high can counteract diabetic kidney problems. Research has demonstrated that blood glucose control diminishes the danger of micro albuminuria by 33%. For individuals who suffer from micro albuminuria have now a reduced danger of advancing to macro albuminuria. Different studies have recommended that blood glucose control can reverse micro albuminuria.

Treatment: Essential treatments for kidney infection include control of blood glucose and blood pressure. Blood pressure dramatically affects the rate at which the condition progresses. Indeed, even a gentle increase in blood pressure can rapidly aggravate a kidney infection. Four approaches to bring down your blood pressure are:

Shedding pounds
Eating less salt
Maintaining a strategic distance from liquor and tobacco
Exercising regularly
A low-protein diet can decrease the amount of lost protein in the urine and increase the protein levels in the blood. Never begin a low-protein diet without talking to your physician or nephrologist.

Diabetes & Kidney Problems - Know The Complications!

Kidneys are an important part of the human body. From filtering wastes from the blood to maintaining the blood pressure and red blood cell count in the body, the kidney does it all. Both the kidneys are essential organs and should there be any discomfort in the kidneys, one should consult a medical practitioner as soon as possible. Kidney failure is a common problem in people. This issue manifests itself with certain signs and symptoms. One should listen to these symptoms and act quickly before the condition worsens. Here are some of the signs and symptoms of kidney failure.

Interestingly, in the initial stages, kidney failure portrays no symptoms. It starts developing slowly and steadily causing discomfort in other parts of the body and hindering the working of other organs.

Weakness: If you are suffering from kidney failure, you will start feeling weak. Weakness is however not a symptom which can confirm a kidney failure. Weakness is caused due to many other health issues and thus, you need to verify with other symptoms to be sure of the fact that you are suffering from kidney failure only.

Shortness of Breath: You may start experiencing heavy breathing right after doing some rigorous work. In fact, you might feel shortness of breath or be panting for long moments after climbing just a set of stairs. Shortness of breath is quite common indicating that the body is getting tired after doing work. Such indication, more than once a day, calls for an immediate check up of the body.

Lethargy: While most people, especially the young generation to those in the early thirties jokingly declare themselves as lazy people; lethargy, however, is a symptom of many diseases. Various health issues develop if you feel lethargic of working. Apart from kidney failure, diabetes is also manifested in lethargic body movements. At times, just getting out of the bed in the morning seems very tiring and one continues to lie on the bed even after he/she is fully awake.

Stomach Pain: If you experience pain in the stomach, especially in the sides, then it should be immediately checked by a medical practitioner. Doctors say that kidney failure can bring about stomach pains.

Unusual Urine Discharges: This would include clear urine discharges which indicate that the kidney has stopped filtering the waste products.

Thus, these are some of the most important and common symptoms of kidney failure. If you notice any of these, it is advised to visit a doctor for a check up.

Symptoms of Kidney Failure

Kidneys and Kidney Diseases

The kidneys are organs which aim to filter out huge amounts of blood to produce 1-2 quarts of urine. They also perform the task of filtering out the excessive waste materials from the blood stream.

However, there can be cases when infection enters your bloodstream and affects your kidneys. This can cause serious kidney diseases such as cysts, stones and cancer.

Diabetes: What is it and how does it affect your kidneys?

Diabetes is a condition which is caused when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (Type 1 Diabetes) or when your body doesn t react to the insulin in a normal way (Type 2 Diabetes). The sugar in your food cannot be broken down effectively which can result in problems in your kidneys.

The glucose content in your blood causes considerable damage to the filters in your kidneys. When the filters in the kidney are damaged, a particular protein called albumin releases into your blood and your urine. The damage in the kidneys can affect the kidney function and obstruct the filtering out of wastes from the blood.

Thus, diabetes could be attributed as a major cause of kidney disease.

Managing Diabetes-

Managing diabetes is crucial to avoid kidney diseases. However, diabetes doesn t have a proper cure which is why it is even more important to take care of your health in such cases.

Here are a few ways in which diabetic patients can aim to be healthy and prevent kidney diseases:

Quit Smoking: Smoking increases diabetic complications such as nerve damage and heart strokes which can in-turn affect your kidneys  functions adversely. Hence, it is advisable to quit smoking to keep diabetes under control.

Healthy Meals: Opt for healthy meals which are balanced and packed with nutrients as they help in increasing the insulin function in your body. Foods such as green leafy vegetables, legumes, fruits and lean meat should be included in your meals.

Engage in Physical Exercise: A diabetic person needs to engage in physical exercise in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Obesity can increase your chances of complications and can be detrimental to your kidneys as well.

How Does Managing Diabetes Help Your Kidneys?

Causes and symptoms of acute tubular necrosis

Damage or destruction to tube-like structures known as tubules in the kidneys can bring about the development of acute tubular necrosis (ATN) and subsequently, acute kidney failure.

What causes acute tubular necrosis (ATN)?

A lack of supply of oxygen to the cells in the kidney is the most common cause of this condition. The reason as to why oxygen may not reach the cells and tissues of this organ could be restriction or blockage of the pathways. When this happens, the kidneys get damaged. Dehydration is the most important cause of ATN which may be because of loose motions, vomitings, heat stroke etc.

Health conditions such as diabetes, heart attack, and stroke can bring about a decrease in blood flow to the organs resulting in ATN and death of cells. Similarly, the presence of toxic substances in the blood can also lead to tubules damage and change the way the cells function in the tubules.

Other causes that may lead you to develop ATN may be medications, radiology dyes, anesthetics and chemicals that cause your body to react adversely.

In addition to these causes, a number of factors can put you at risk of ATN and there are:

- An injury to the body, more specifically your kidneys can cause clotting of the blood vessels
- An adverse response to blood transfusion
- Instances of septic shock can slow down blood flow to the organs
- A major surgery that can interrupt blood supply to the organs

What are the symptoms of the condition?

The symptoms associated with the condition can vary depending on the severity of the problem.

You may experience:

- Troubles in waking up
- Drowsy feeling even during daytime
- Feelings of lethargy
- Feelings of excessive thirstiness
- Problems with urination
- Fluid retention problems
- Instances of confusion
- Feelings of nausea



Can Acute Tubular Necrosis Cause Kidney Failure?

A kidney transplant is a procedure that employs an operation to transplant properly functioning kidney in the body. The main job of the kidneys is to remove the excess waste from a person s body with the help of a filtration process. When the kidneys stop filtering the toxins properly, they become diseased as harmful waste products and toxins begin to accumulate in the body. Following this, the patient has to go through treatment measures like dialysis or kidney transplant.

Read on to know the five things you should keep in mind about a kidney transplant.

Treatment: Transplant is one of the best ways to treat chronic kidney disease stage-V, until unless it is contraindicated. Life becomes near normal after transplant, though there is a possibility of rejection of transplant kidney. Patient has to take immunosuppressive medication life long. 
Medication: Medications are mainly for:
To prevent rejection: Patient takes immunosuppressive medications life long. 
Prevention of infection: Patient has to take care all the measures to prevent infections as they are more prone to infections. 
Other medication: To control diabetes, HTN etc. 
Family Only: The donors are from family or emotionally related or cadavers (after brain death). HLA-matched donors are better because of less chances of rejections and first reduction of immunosuppressive. 
Doing Your Part: Once transplant is done - patient becomes normal and he/she lives a normal life. However, they have to take regular medications and to protect themselves from various infection. 
End Stage Renal Diseases: These diseases includes diabetes mellitus, HTN, polycystic kidney disease, chronic glomerulonephritis or interstitial nephritis etc.
Consult your Nephrologist before going for renal transplant for detailed check up or line of action.

Kidney Transplant - 5 Things About it !

What is diabetic kidney disease?
Diabetic nephropathy, also known as Diabetic Kidney Disease is a type of complication that occurs in people who are a victim to diabetes. That does not mean every individual with diabetes will have this disease, but if the necessary precautions are not taken, then it can lead to this disease. Diabetic Kidney Disease is characterised by excessive amounts of albumin as well as protein in the urine. In diabetics, certain chemicals in the kidneys shoot up and hamper the function of the glomeruli.

The glomeruli are the main units of kidneys that are responsible for the filtration. Diabetic kidney diseases result in the leakage of essential products like albumin and protein into the urine. When this happens, the protein levels in the blood reduce. If proper precautions are not taken and treatment is not done, then the disease may worsen and the condition will progress to  end-stage renal failure .

How to avoid diabetic kidney disease?
The best way to treat diabetic kidney disease is to prevent it in the first place. Foremost, you should prevent the risk factors in order to avoid coming down with Diabetic Nephropathy. The risk factors include high blood pressure, high levels of blood sugar, dyslipidemia and smoking. Avoid excess of following 5S Sugar, Salt, smoke, stress and sedentary life.

Intensive control over blood sugar
According to certain clinical trials, maintaining and keeping a good control over your blood sugar levels drastically reduces the risk of developing diabetic kidney disease. If you are diabetic, make it a point to get your regular checkups and maintain your diet to prevent the levels of sugar in your blood to shoot up. Other things that you must keep in your mind are to take proper medication that has been prescribed to you. You must adhere to your treatment plans and follow the guidelines that have been given to you.

Intensive control over blood pressure
Hypertension is common in patients who are diabetic. Hypertension alone can result in end-organ damage due to excess pressure build up in the blood vessels. Hypertension associated with hyperglycaemia (diabetes) is a ticking bomb for your kidneys. Hence it is advised to keep your blood pressure under control as well to prevent diabetic kidney disease.

Diabetic nephropathy is not something that happens to every individual with diabetes, so if you follow the above simple tips, the chances of the same reduce, and thus the quality of your life goes up. Many diabetics will get kidney failure due to causes other than diabetes and that may be treatable. Hence early consult with nephrologist is a must.

Diabetic Kidney Disease - How It Can Be Prevented?

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