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How Does Diabetes Cause Kidney Disease


How To Protect Kidneys From Diabetes

The best way is to avoid the below conditions from time to time, such as:

  • Smoking
  • High Animal Protein, Fish or Egg intake
  • The increased amount of Potassium and other dangerous salts
  • Non-controlling High Blood Sugar levels
  • Obesity
  • Sulpher sugar

These cause the bad cholesterol level to increase in our blood.

  • Use Wooden Cold pressed Oil, Eat Jaggery, Organic vegetables and fruits like Apple, Citrus fruits, pineapple, etc., and mostly Lemon water if possible.
  • Regular walking of 20-30 minutes daily and little warm up to 30 minutes at home in the garden etc.
  • Follow doctors medication time table. Get regular checkups of blood, urine, and vitamins level, etc.

Diet For Renal Failure


If you already have chronic renal failure, your doctor or dietician will want you to start on an eating plan called the Renal Diet.

Your kidneys are damaged; therefore, your kidneys cannot handle a regular amount of protein as they could in the past. Your kidneys also cant handle excessive amount of salt or potassium, due to the kidneys role in regulating these electrolytes. If you choose not to decrease your protein, sodium, and potassium levels, it makes your kidneys work harder to filter waste, and you will experience ESRD sooner. A renal diet is lower in protein, fat, sodium or salt, and potassium. You will most likely be asked to:

  • cut back on protein containing foods, especially animal products such as milk, eggs, and cheese
  • eat a low fat diet that is also low in cholesterol, as your body cannot handle high cholesterol foods like it used to, and you will get plaque build-up in your arteries from all of the excessive cholesterol in your bloodstream
  • avoid high salt or sodium in your diet, and keep sodium to 1500 mg/day to keep your blood pressure in a better range to protect your kidneys
  • avoid excess potassium since your kidneys can no longer regulate this electrolyte. Potassium keeps your heart beating regularly and helps your muscles to work right, but kidney disease may result in high potassium levels, an irregular heartbeat, or even cardiac arrest. Avoid foods like apricots, oranges, potatoes and bananas, which are all high in potassium

Longer Life With A Kidney Transplant Than Without One

It should be noted that the average life expectancy of someone on dialysis is only five years. Research has tended to favor a transplant over long term kidney dialysis. Transplant patients generally live longer than dialysis patients.

You will go through a major surgery, with a long recovery period. There is a possibility of transplant rejection. However, after the organ transplant, you may have more energy, fewer diet restrictions, and an overall better quality of life. Patients have fewer complications to report.


If you obtain your kidney for transplant from a living donor, you can expect to live anywhere from 12 to 20 years. If your kidney came from a donor who is deceased, then you can expect to be around for the next 8 to 12 years. If you can manage to have a kidney transplant before you end up on dialysis, then you could live 10-15 years longer than someone on dialysis.

Its possible that you may have to be on dialysis for a time while waiting on an organ for transplant. They will need to locate a good match for you whether it is from a deceased donor or from a living donor. This is due to being on dialysis for a long time can shorten the life of a new kidney after the transplant. Still, a transplant is preferred in most cases over dialysis.

For more information and frequently asked questions on pre-emptive transplantation, go to: http://www.bidmc.org/~/media/Files/Centers%20and%20Departments/TransplantInstitute/preemptfaq.pdf

Stages Of Kidney Failure


The five stages of chronic kidney disease are mainly based upon the Glomerular Filtration Rate, or GFR. The first stage is essentially no kidney damage, and the second stage is minimal damage. The following graph shows a detailed description of the five stages of chronic kidney disease:

Stage of CKD
Less than 15 or on dialysis End Stage Renal Disease or renal failure Choices of dialysis or transplant, or both.

Gestational diabetes and renal failure

Pregnancy puts a great strain on the body, and kidney disease for pregnant women with gestational diabetes can and does occur. Proteinuria in late pregnancy presents a problem. Women with diabetes prior to becoming pregnant who have intact renal function seem to have little problem. In other words, going into the pregnancy, they have no pre-existing kidney damage.

Those with diabetes prior to pregnancy who go into the pregnancy with already impaired renal function do not fare as well. They are at risk for decline of renal function during pregnancy that causes permanent damage. Preeclampsia with increased blood pressures further compensates the kidneys of the diabetic mother.

What is End Stage Renal Disease?


When a person enters stage 5 of renal disease, they have what is termed as End Stage Renal Disease or ESRD. The kidneys are severely damaged at this point. There is then a choice of dialysis or kidney transplant, or both.

What happens when you enter ESRD? Is there treatment?

How Is Diabetic Nephropathy Treated

Diabetes And Renal Failure: Everything You Need To Know

Lowering blood pressure and maintaining blood sugar control are absolutely necessary to slow the progression of diabetic nephropathy. There are medications available which have been found to slow down the progression of kidney damage. They include:


  • SGLT2 inhibitors including dapagliflozin , which helps control high blood sugar.à
  • Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors can help slow down the progression of kidney damage. Although ACE inhibitors — including ramipril , quinapril , and lisinopril — are usually used to treat high blood pressure and other medical problems, they are often given to people with diabetes to prevent complications, even if their blood pressure is normal.
  • Angiotensin receptor blockers can often be given insteadàif you have side effects from taking ACE inhibitors

If not treated, the kidneys will continue to fail and larger amounts of proteins can be detected in the urine. Advanced kidney failure requires treatment with dialysis or a kidney transplant.

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What Does Diabetes Do To The Kidneys

With diabetes, the small blood vessels in the body are injured. When the blood vessels in the kidneys are injured, your kidneys cannot clean your blood properly. Your body will retain more water and salt than it should, which can result in weight gain and ankle swelling. You may have protein in your urine. Also, waste materials will build up in your blood.


Diabetes also may cause damage to nerves in your body. This can cause difficulty in emptying your bladder. The pressure resulting from your full bladder can back up and injure the kidneys. Also, if urine remains in your bladder for a long time, you can develop an infection from the rapid growth of bacteria in urine that has a high sugar level.

Prevalence Of Diabetic Nephropathy By Race

The severity and incidence of diabetic nephropathy are especially great in blacks , Mexican Americans, and Pima Indians with type 2 DM. The relatively high frequency of the condition in these genetically disparate populations suggests that socioeconomic factors, such as diet, poor control of hyperglycemia, hypertension, and obesity, have a primary role in the development of diabetic nephropathy. It also indicates that familial clustering may be occurring in these populations.


Are You A Diabetic Here’s What High Blood Sugar Levels Can Do To Your Kidney Heart And Brain

Diabetes is a complex, progressive disease that can lead to long-term complications if the sugar levels are not kept under control. As a diabetic, you may be aware about medicines, devices and remedies that can help you to control your sugar levels. But along with that you also need to understand what complications you may have to face if you fail to adhere to your medications and keep your blood sugar in check.

Dr Mitali Joshi, consultant at LifeSpan, highlights one such manifestation of type 2 diabetes called the Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome , a condition that can result in kidney failure, stroke and diabetic coma.

What is HHNS? How does it affect a diabetic? Is it an emergent condition?


Live Vs Deceased Donor

A live donor is preferred in all cases because of improved kidney graft functioning, among other things. It is definitely the preferred method for pre-emptive dialysis as mentioned above. Still, no matter how long a person has had to be on dialysis, they are better off with a transplant organ from a live donor.

Further reading:

Symptoms Of Kidney Failure

For people with diabetes, kidney problems are usually picked up during a check-up by their doctor. Occasionally, a person can have type 2 diabetes without knowing it. This means their unchecked high blood sugar levels may be slowly damaging their kidneys. At first, the only sign is high protein levels in the urine, but this has no symptoms. It may be years before the kidneys are damaged severely enough to cause symptoms. Some of the symptoms may include:


  • Fluid retention
  • Fatigue
  • Vomiting.

What About A Kidney Transplant

Dialysis saves lives for those with chronic kidney failure, but it serves to provide only about ten percent of a normally functioning kidneys ability to filter wastes from the body. In addition, dialysis can cause other serious health issues including:

  • anemia or decreased number of normal red blood cells
  • nerve damage
  • high blood pressure

Prediabetes And Kidney Disease

If you have prediabetes, taking action to prevent type 2 diabetes is an important step in preventing kidney disease. Studies have shown that overweight people at higher risk for type 2 diabetes can prevent or delay developing it by losing 5% to 7% of their body weight, or 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person. You can do that by eating healthier and getting 150 minutes of physical activity each week. CDCs National Diabetes Prevention Program lifestyle change program can help you create the healthy lifestyle habits needed to prevent type 2 diabetes. Find a program in your community or online.


How Diabetes Causes Kidney Disease

10 Free Tips: How Does Diabetes Cause Kidney Disease ...

Each kidney is made up of millions of tiny filters called nephrons. Over time, high blood sugar from diabetes can damage blood vessels in the kidneys as well as nephrons so they dont work as well as they should. Many people with diabetes also develop high blood pressure, which can damage kidneys too.

CKD takes a long time to develop and usually doesnt have any signs or symptoms in the early stages. You wont know you have CKD unless your doctor checks you for it.

Symptoms And Tests For Kidney Disease


Aside from the BUN test, there are a couple of other tests you should have annually to detect potential kidney problems. The most common one is microalbumin.

Albumin is a protein that is supposed to stay in the body. However, with poor kidney function this is often filtered out in the urine and when small or large amounts are detected, it indicates kidney damage.

Another indication that kidneys may be damaged is swelling, especially in the feet and ankles, high blood pressure, and increased need to use the bathroom overnight. Keep in mind that in early stages of kidney disease there are often no signs, which is why it is very important to have the blood tests done annually.

As damage progresses, toxins in the blood will continue to accumulate leading to fatigue, weakness, muscle cramps, anemia, nausea, vomiting, and itching. NOTE: all of these can be symptoms of other problems as well. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor for proper diagnosis.


How Was The Covid

Thousands of volunteers took part in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. Clinical trials for the vaccines compared results between people who were vaccinated and people who were not vaccinated . Many different people took part in the clinical trials including people who are age 65 and older or who have a chronic health problem that would make them more likely to get very sick from COVID-19. Each clinical trial was made up of people of different:

  • Ages
  • Race or ethnicity
  • Health status

Researchers do not yet know if there were any differences in how the vaccine worked in people with kidney disease compared to those without kidney disease.

What Are The Symptoms Of Diabetes In Kidney Disease

Below, common diabetes causes kidney disease symptoms, which helps to get an idea about what is happening with you:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Fast food, High intake of Animal protein eater
  • Excessive consumption of Salts and Potassium
  • long time Non-eating of Fresh and healthy fruits
  • High blood pressure and Diabetic patients
  • High cholesterol level in the blood

Diabetic Kidney Disease Development And Progression Steps

  • A raised blood sugar level causes leakage of chemicals within the kidney.
  • Chemicals tend to make the glomeruli more leaky, which allows albumin to leak into the urine.
  • Increased blood glucose levels may cause some proteins in the glomeruli to get extracted, and other proteins get linked to the glucose.
  • Cross-linked proteins can trigger a localized scarring process, also called glomerulosclerosis.
  • It regularly takes several years for glomerulosclerosis to develop, and it only occurs in diabetes patients.
  • As the condition becomes more critical, glomerulosclerosis is expanded and minimizes the kidneys filtering function.
  • Finally, causes Kidney failure.
  • How Does Diabetes Cause Damage To My Kidneys

    Diabetes can harm the kidneys by causing damage to:

    • Blood vessels inside your kidneys. The filtering units of the kidney are filled with tiny blood vessels. Over time, high sugar levels in the blood can cause these vessels to become narrow and clogged. Without enough blood, the kidneys become damaged and albumin passes through these filters and ends up in the urine where it should not be.
    • Nerves in your body. Diabetes can also cause damage to the nerves in your body. Nerves carry messages between your brain and all other parts of your body, including your bladder. They let your brain know when your bladder is full. But if the nerves of the bladder are damaged, you may not be able to feel when your bladder is full. The pressure from a full bladder can damage your kidneys.
    • Urinary tract. If urine stays in your bladder for a long time, you may get a urinary tract infection. This is because of bacteria. Bacteria are tiny organisms like germs that can cause disease. They grow rapidly in urine with a high sugar level. Most often these infections affect the bladder, but they can sometimes spread to the kidneys.

    How Can I Keep My Kidneys Healthy If I Have Diabetes

    The best way to slow or prevent diabetes-related kidney disease is to reach your blood glucose and blood pressure goals. Healthy lifestyle habits and taking your medicines as prescribed can help you achieve these goals and improve your health overall.

    -Reach your blood glucose goals

    -Control your blood pressure

    -Develop or maintain healthy lifestyle habits

    More Information And Support About Kidney Disease

    Talk with your diabetes team. They should be able to answer most of your questions. And were here to provide support and information when you need it too. 

    If you have more questions, or just want someone to listen, give our helpline a call. Youll be able to talk things through with highly trained advisors who have counselling skills and an extensive knowledge of diabetes. 

    The National Kidney Federation have kidney disease leaflets and can put you in touch with a local group. Kidney Care UK also offers resources and support including a telephone counselling service that you may find useful.

    Kidney Research UK are dedicated to research into kidney disease. Weve been working together to identify the most important areas of future research, so that we can ultimately stop kidney disease in people with diabetes.

    If You Are A Living Kidney Donor Or Plan To Donate Your Kidney In The Future

    Managing Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Problem

    The COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials did not get information about the effect on people who have donated their kidney in the past. However, if you are in good health and do not have a history of severe side effects from vaccines, there are no special safety concerns for you at this time. Talk to your doctor if you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine and being an organ donor.

    How Does Kidney Disease Happen

    Each kidney has about one million tiny filtering units, called nephrons, which contain many blood vessels. Any disease or condition that injures or scars the nephrons and damages their blood vessels can cause kidney disease.

    The most common causes of kidney disease are diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis . Less common causes include:

    • A genetic disorder called polycystic kidney disease, which causes many cysts to grow in the kidneys
    • Long-term use of certain drugs that are toxic to the kidneys
    • Autoimmune diseases, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis

    How Does Diabetic Kidney Disease Develop And Progress

    A raised blood sugar level that occurs in people with diabetes can cause a rise in the level of some chemicals within the kidney. These chemicals tend to make the glomeruli more ‘leaky’ which then allows albumin to leak into the urine.

    In addition, the raised blood glucose level may cause some proteins in the glomeruli to link together. These ‘cross-linked’ proteins can trigger a localised scarring process. This scarring process in the glomeruli is called glomerulosclerosis. It usually takes several years for glomerulosclerosis to develop and it only happens in some people with diabetes.

    As the condition becomes worse, scarred tissue gradually replaces healthy kidney tissue. As a result, the kidneys become less and less able to do their job of filtering the blood. This gradual ‘failing’ of the kidneys may gradually progress to what is known as end-stage kidney failure.

    • Microalbuminuria is usually the first sign that diabetic kidney disease has developed. Over months or years, microalbuminuria may go away , persist at about the same level, or progress to proteinuria.
    • Proteinuria is irreversible. If you develop proteinuria it usually marks the beginning of a gradual decline in kidney function towards end-stage kidney failure at some time in the future.

    Diabetes And Renal Failure: Everything You Need To Know

    Unfortunately, renal failure or nephropathy and unmanaged diabetes go hand in hand. In addition, 50 percent of people with diabetes will experience some form of kidney damage in their lifetime, even if they never experience kidney failure or end up on dialysis.

    In this article, we will look at how renal failure and insufficiency can have an impact on people with diabetes, and how people with diabetes can avoid renal failure and dialysis. We will look at risk factors, causes, and symptoms, as we explore the relationship between renal failure, diabetes, and high blood glucose.

    We will also look at what happens to a person with diabetes when their kidneys fail. We will discuss dialysis and kidney transplantation.

    First, lets see what Lydia had to say when she contacted TheDiabetesCouncil.

    Find A Diabetes Educator

    A diabetes educator can teach you how to control your blood sugar. Your doctor can help you find a diabetes educator in your area. You can also use the American Association of Diabetes Educators online locator to find a diabetes education program in your area. Medicare and many private insurance policies will help pay for these visits.

    Serum Creatinine Blood Test

    A serum creatinine blood test measures creatinine levels in your blood. Your kidneys remove creatinine from your body by sending creatinine to the bladder, where it is released with urine. If your kidneys are damaged, they cannot remove the creatinine properly from your blood.

    High creatinine levels in your blood may mean that your kidneys are not functioning correctly. Your doctor will use your creatinine level to estimate your glomerular filtration rate , which helps to determine how well your kidneys are working.

    How Can I Prevent It

    Diabetic kidney disease can be prevented by keeping blood glucose in your target range. Research has shown that tight blood glucose control reduces the risk of microalbuminuria by one third. In people who already had microalbuminuria, the risk of progressing to macroalbuminuria was cut in half. Other studies have suggested that tight control can reverse microalbuminuria.

    What Is The Treatment For Diabetic Kidney Disease

    Treatments that may be advised are discussed below. Treatments aim to:

    • Prevent or delay the disease progressing to kidney failure. In particular, if you have early diabetic kidney disease it does not always progress to the proteinuria phase of the disease.
    • Reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke.

    When To Call A Professional

    Protecting the Kidney in Diabetes

    If you have diabetes, your blood pressure should be checked every six months to a year, or more often if it is higher than goal. If you have not been diagnosed with diabetic nephropathy, your urine should be tested for microalbumin at least once a year to check for this problem and diagnose it as early as possible. People with kidney disease need to have regular tests of kidney function â once a year or more often. If you have symptoms that suggest advanced kidney disease, you should discuss them with your physician.

    How Does Diabetes Cause Kidney Failure

    Kidney failure is a real risk in type 2 diabetes, which is why its better to be informed about how the condition develops and its consequences some of which can be life-threatening.

    It does pay to take action in controlling your blood sugar levels and look after your health because as youll soon find out, the cause of kidney failure is largely preventable.

    Other Measures To Prevent Kidney Damage From Diabetes

    • Keep your blood glucose and A1C in target

    As always, self-manage!!! Keep your A1C and your blood glucose in a target range. For most people with diabetes, the A1C should be less than 7 percent. Fasting blood glucose targets are now at 80-130mg/dl, and 2 hours after the start of a meal, your blood glucose should be less than 180 mg/dl. Your doctor may set different targets for you, depending on your age and other health factors. Speak with your doctor about what your targets are for these important numbers.

    • Quit smoking

    This is a given. If you have diabetes, you are worsening your condition if you smoke. Diabetes affects the circulation, and cigarette smoking also damages the circulation. Nicotine binds with oxygen in your blood stream, and keeps oxygen from getting to body tissues. This worsens circulation. Contact the Quit Line in your state. Most offer nicotine patches, gums, or lozenges to help you quit. Quit Lines also have counselors that can talk you through a rough patch, or give you tips on how to quit.

    • Keep your blood pressure controlled

    For most people with diabetes, a goal for blood pressure is below 130/80. Talk to your doctor if you are not sure what your personal target is. Make sure to take your blood pressure medication as prescribed. Your doctor puts you on these medications to protect your kidneys from damage, so it is important that you take them.

    • Keep your blood cholesterol controlled
    • Stay active
    • Eat healthy foods

    What Is Chronic Kidney Disease

    Your kidneys are important because they keep the rest of your body in balance. They:

    • Remove waste products from the body
    • Balance the bodys fluids
    • Help keep blood pressure under control
    • Keep bones healthy
    • Help make red blood cells.

    When you have kidney disease, it means that the kidneys have been damaged. Kidneys can get damaged from a disease like diabetes. Once your kidneys are damaged, they cannot filter your blood nor do other jobs as well as they should.

    Diabetes Is The Leading Cause Of Chronic Kidney Disease

    According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 17 million Americans have diabetes. Unfortunately, one-third does not realize they have the disease. Diabetes is the number one cause of chronic kidney disease . In 1999, almost 44% of patients who needed dialysis had diabetes as the underlying cause for their kidney disease. The numbers continue to rise today.

    How diabetes damages the kidneys

    Diabetes is a disease that affects the bodys ability to produce or use insulin. When the body turns the food eaten into energy , insulin is used to move this sugar into the cells. If someone produces little or no insulin, or if the body cannot use the insulin , the sugar remains in the bloodstream instead of going into the cells. Over time, high levels of sugar in the blood damage tiny blood vessels throughout the body including the filters of the kidneys. As more damage occurs to the kidneys, more fluid and waste remain in the bloodstream instead of being removed.

    Symptoms of diabetes

    The American Diabetes Association lists the symptoms of diabetes as:

    • Frequent urination
    • Blurry vision

    Lack of an early diagnosis compounds the problem

    Type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed early because its symptoms are severe and rapid. A treatment plan can then be put in place and continued. Unfortunately, Type 2 diabetes often goes undiagnosed for many years because early symptoms are not severe.

    Obesity is on the rise

    High blood pressure can accompany Type 2 diabetes

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