Diabetic nephropathy is a kidney complication in people diagnosed with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. More than 40% of kidney failures are caused because of diabetes.

What you need to know:

What is diabetic nephropathy?
What are the symptoms of diabetic nephropathy?
What are the causes of diabetic nephropathy?
Stages of diabetic nephropathy
Strategies for prevention and early detection of diabetic nephropathy

What is diabetic nephropathy?Diabetic nephropathy is the gradual degeneration of the kidney function. This complication can reduce your kidney’s efficiency in removing waste products and extra fluids from your system. However, you can prevent this condition by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and managing diabetes and high blood pressure.

What are the symptoms of diabetic nephropathy?

The early stages of kidney damage often don’t have any symptoms, which starts showing only in the late stage. Here are some of the diabetic nephropathy symptoms that you might experience:

Sudden loss in appetite
Headaches
Nausea
Fatigues
Dry, itchy skin
Shortness of breath
Swelling of arms and legs
Worsening blood pressure levels
Urinating either too much or too little

What are the causes of diabetic nephropathy?

Each of our kidneys is home to millions of nephrons. They are small structures that filter waste from the blood. Diabetes can thicken these nephrons, which can make it difficult to filter the waste and remove water. The exact reason behind diabetic nephropathy is still unknown, but it’s probable that high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels contribute to bad kidney function. Here are some other factors that can increase your risk of getting nephropathy:

Having a genetic history of kidney diseases
Smoking
Having type-1 diabetes before 20 years of age
Obesity

Stages of diabetic nephropathy

Early diagnosis and treatment can help you slow down diabetic nephropathy and other kidney-related complications. A glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can help in knowing what stage of kidney disease you are in. Knowing the diabetic nephropathy stage is vital as treatment plans depend on it. Let’s go over the stages below:

Stage 1

This stage is the mildest stage of kidney disease. Kidneys can still return to their normal function.

Stage 2

The second stage of diabetic nephropathy indicates that your kidneys have been partially damaged and kidney function has decreased.

Stage 3

This stage means that your kidney has lost up to 50% of its normal functionality. You can also experience bone pain.

Stage 4

This stage denotes that you are experiencing severe kidney damage

Stage 5

Stage 5 of diabetic nephropathy means that your kidneys have failed completely and you’ll require either dialysis or kidney transplant.

Strategies for prevention and early detection of diabetic nephropathy

Here are some of the strategies that you can use to prevent and early detect diabetic nephropathy:

Quit smoking
Keep your blood sugar levels in check
Take medicines given by the doctor regularly
Limit your sodium intake
Limit oils and saturated fatty acids
Maintain a healthy weight
Manage your diabetes and blood pressure levels

Consider checking in with your doctor to come up with a healthy lifestyle plan to prevent diabetes nephropathy!

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