Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic Nephropathy is a progressive kidney disease that occurs in people suffering from type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The progression of this disease is slow and can be stopped through early treatment. Not all people suffering from diabetes develop diabetic nephropathy. Regular monitoring of blood glucose level and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are the keys to reducing the risk of the same.

What are the symptoms of Diabetic Nephropathy?

Often, there are no symptoms of this condition in its early stages. Some common symptoms that may appear as the kidney function decreases are as follows:

• Frothy urination
• Trouble in concentrating or sleeping
• Swelling in feet, hands and face
• Nausea
• Poor appetite
• An extremely dry and itchy skin
• Weakness
• Drowsiness

As and when the damage to the kidney increases, they start losing their ability to remove waste from the blood leading to their poisonous buildup. This is known as uremia.

What are the different stages of diabetic nephropathy?

Stages of Diabetic Nephropathy	GFR	UAE
Stage1: Glomerular Hyper filtration	Normal > 90ml/min/1.73m2r Increased	<30mg/day
Stage2: Silent Stage	Normal>90ml/min/1.73m2	<30mg/day
Stage3: Incipient Nephropathy	<60ml/min/1.73m2	Microalbuminuria >30-300mg/day
Stage4: Overt Nephropathy	<30ml/min/1.73m2	Macroalbuminuria>300mg/day
Stage5: ESRD	<15ml/min/1.73m2	Macroalbuminuria>300mg/day

What are the other risk factors of diabetic nephropathy apart from diabetes?

If a person is living with diabetes, there are several risk factors that can increase your risk of having diabetic nephropathy. These include:

• Hyperglycemic due to uncontrolled high blood sugar level
• Hypertension due to uncontrolled high blood pressure
• Smoking
• High cholesterol
• Obesity
• Family history of kidney disease or diabetes

How to reduce the risk of developing diabetic nephropathy?

In order to prevent development of diabetic nephropathy, follow the following steps regularly:

• Always be regular with your diabetes management appointments so as to screen your health and diabetes.
• Control high blood pressure so as to maintain the same within the healthy range
• Always follow the instructions when taking any over the counter medications.
• Always be physically active to maintain a healthy body weight
• Do not smoke. Smoking can increase the chances of kidney damage.

What are the treatments available for Diabetic Nephropathy?

An early treatment plan can help a person in delaying or even preventing the onset of diabetic nephropathy. In order to do so, one has to maintain and control the blood sugar and the blood pressure level in the healthy range. This can be done through either drug treatment or dietary changes. People suffering from diabetes should attend regular screening as per the best kidney specialist doctor to take early steps to prevent the onset of this kidney disease.