How does Diabetes hurt or affect my Kidneys?
Diabetes (dy-uh-BEE-teez) Mellitus (MELL-ih-tus):
A condition characterized by high blood glucose (sugar) resulting from the body's inability to use glucose efficiently. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas makes little or no insulin; in type 2 diabetes, the body is resistant to the effects of available insulin.
How does Diabetes hurt or affect my Kidneys?
When kidneys are working well, the tiny filters in your kidneys, the glomeruli, keep protein inside your body. You need the protein to stay healthy.
High blood glucose and high blood pressure damage the kidneys’ filters. When the kidneys are damaged, the protein leaks out of the kidneys into the urine. Damaged kidneys do not do a good job of cleaning out waste and extra fluids. Waste and fluids build up in your blood instead of leaving the body in urine.
Kidney damage begins long before you notice any symptoms. An early sign of kidney damage is when your kidneys leak small amounts of a protein called albumin into the urine. But the only way to know about this leakage is to have your urine tested.
With more damage, the kidneys leak more and more protein. This problem is called proteinuria. More and more wastes build up in the blood. This damage gets worse until the kidneys fail.
Diabetic nephropathy is the medical term for kidney problems caused by diabetes. Nephropathy affects both kidneys at the same time.
Related Topics:
Diabetes Information
Type 2 Diabetes
Prevention of Diabetes Complications
How does Diabetes hurt or affect my Kidneys? (Current Page)
To learn more about Diabetes visit: UD-IA: Understanding Diabetes-Increasing Awareness
Sources:
1. Kidney Diseases Dictionary D-E. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).NIH Publication No. 03–4359: May 2003
2. Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your kidneys healthy. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).NIH Publication No. 06–4281:March 2006
This Page Last Revised: February 1, 2008
