Diabetes is a very common and widespread disease. The exact causes of it are still unknown, but some factors like genetics, obesity, lack of physical activity, poor diet, and even stress can influence its development.
Diabetic patients are at high risk for developing Renal disease (also known as kidney disease) in the long run. It’s vital to understand how diabetes can cause kidney problems and what you can do to prevent them.
Why diabetics are more likely to develop renal diseases?
Chronic elevated blood glucose levels damage the blood vessels in your kidneys. As a result, their ability to filter the blood is reduced. This causes waste products to build up in your blood, which may lead to various health problems including renal diseases and eventually renal failure.
Diabetic patients also frequently suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure). It can accelerate the damage of your kidneys and increase the risk of renal failure.
What Is Renal Disease?
Your kidneys are bean-shaped organs that remove waste from your blood. They also produce hormones that regulate your blood pressure, stimulate red blood cell production and keep bones healthy. When your kidneys aren’t working well, waste builds up in your blood instead of being excreted in your urine. This can cause symptoms such as fatigue, itching, swelling and even heart failure.
Renal disease is a general term for damage to or disease of a kidney. If a person has too much damage to their kidneys, they may have end-stage renal disease (ESRD). People with ESRD require either dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.
What symptoms should you watch out for?
Early stages of renal disease don’t have noticeable symptoms so they are often overlooked. Some people don’t even know they have problems with their kidneys until it’s too late. That’s why it’s important to monitor your health closely and visit a doctor.
The signs and symptoms of kidney failure include the following:
Darker-colored urine. Urine contains wastes that get broken down by the kidneys. Uneven amounts of these waste products can cause dark urine.
Unexplained rashes. Rashes can appear on various parts of your body, but they’re often found on your face, hands or feet. Unexplained rashes should always be checked out by a doctor before being dismissed as benign.
Dizziness. A sudden decrease in your feeling of well-being could be because of low blood pressure. This condition is called hypotension, and it can happen when your kidneys aren’t working properly
