Can Diabetes Affect Your Kidneys?

With an increase in poor lifestyle habits, lifestyle diseases are also on a rise. Diabetes, is a common one among them. This is because it is commonly found in people who are not physically active, and the ones who do not have a healthy weight.

Diabetes is a disease in which your body is not able to make sufficient amount of insulin or is unable to use normal amounts of insulin properly. Insulin is a vital hormone in the body which regulates the level of sugar in the blood, and when this level is elevated, it can lead to issues in various body parts. It impairs several organs and may even decrease your quality of life.

Effects of diabetes on the kidneys:

• When a person has high blood sugar, the tiny blood vessels in the body are injured. When the blood vessels in the kidneys are damaged, the kidneys are not able to clean the toxins from the body properly. It results in the retention of water as well as salt in the body, which typically leads to weight gain and swelling in the ankles. Also, a person may have protein in the urine along with waste materials in the blood.

• High blood sugar can also lead to nerve damage in the body, causing difficulty in releasing the contents of the bladder. The pressure exerted from the bladder may back up and cause harm to the kidneys. Also, when the urine remains in the bladder for an extended period, one may develop infections from the rapid growth of bacteria in the urine owing to high blood sugar level.

• About 30 percent of people affected with Type 1 diabetes and around 10 to 40 percent of people with type 2 diabetes would eventually be affected by kidney damage.

Symptoms of kidney damage due to diabetes:

• The earliest symptom of kidney disease due to diabetes is a rise in an excretion of the protein known as albumin in the urine.

• This increase in the protein is confirmed through various general tests. Therefore, it is essential to get these tests done on yearly basis. In its early stages, diabetes can  lead to weight gain and swelling in the ankles.

• There is an increase in blood pressure, and it causes frequent urination, particularly at night. If you are affected by diabetes, you should get your blood, urine and blood pressure checked at least once, every year.

If this condition is not treated on time, the healthy of your kidneys will keep deteriorating. So, if you identify any of these symptoms, then see your doctor without delaying