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Diabetes and The
Kidney |
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Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease around the
world. Poorly controlled diabetes, with time, leads to
kidney problems. Most of us fear kidney disease and
instantly recall images of dialysis or transplantation when
kidney disease is mentioned. In actual fact kidney disease
secondary to diabetes can easily be prevented and even if
already present can be usefully retarded or suppressed.
Unfortunately many of us may have long standing diabetes
with little or no symptoms: the early diagnosis of diabetes,
long before complications such as kidney disease take root
is the first step to preventing kidney disease. This is
where screening for diabetes becomes important. If you are
already a diagnosed diabetic, then strict blood sugar
control with regular monitoring of blood pressure as
suggested by your doctor will prevent kidney disease. If you
already have diabetic kidney disease you will need to stop
the progression of these complications.
In kidney disease caused by diabetes, the kidney begins to
leak protein, which is excreted via the urine. This urine
protein can be detected by one of several tests. These tests
will be regularly performed by your doctor, perhaps on an
annual basis. This only requires a urine sample and is
simple to perform and involves no risk to you. Detecting
kidney disease early, is the key to arresting and
controlling kidney disease. If these simple tests become
positive, you will be referred on for a more comprehensive
assessment.
Similar to diabetes in its early stages, kidney disease too
is without symptoms in the early stages. In the later stages
symptoms can include swelling, tiredness, and changes in
urine volume. Until considerable damage is done to your
kidneys, there will be little or no symptoms. Regular
testing at an early stage will ensure that kidney
complications are picked up well in time. The earlier these
complications are detected, the more effective are the steps
taken to slow down or reverse kidney disease. These include
drugs to reduce the protein leak in the urine as well as
dietary changes to slow the progress of the disease.
In Sri Lanka, many patients are first diagnosed to have
diabetes late in the illness, when complications such as
kidney disease have already advanced considerably. This
allows little opportunity for preventive strategies.
With the introduction of screening programs we will be able
to detect diabetes early, giving the opportunity for early
detection of complications. Patients who already have
developed complications have the opportunity to control
these complications before further damage can arise. This
will have considerable impact in preventing kidney disease
following diabetes.
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