How Kidneys are Affected in a Diabetic Patient
Kidney failure cases are increasing in our country every day. Kidney failure cases would increase further as most important cause of kidney disease is diabetes and we are called diabetes capital because as per prediction of WHO, India is going to have maximum number of diabetes cases in future. Kidney complications arevery frequent in diabetes population.
What is Diabetic Nephropathy: Diabetic nephropathy is a term which is used to describe the affection of kidney because of diabetes.
Screening for Diabetic Nephropathy
Earliest change which can be detected in a diabetic patient is detection of microalbumin in urine. This is a test which is used as a screening test to detect diabetic nephropathy.
Screening for diabetic nephropathy should start from the time somebody is detected to have diabetes especially above the age of 40 years as some patients especially Type 2 Diabetes patients have diabetic nephropathy in very beginning.
Swelling over face/ feet or new onset high BP can also be because of Diabetic nephropathy but these are relatively late features.
If a diabetic person sugar starts falling with same medications, that can also be a hint to investigate for involvement of kidney.
Ultrasound is fallacious in diagnosis because kidney size remains normal unlike other older kidney diseases where kidneys are shrunken.
Kidney transplant is best treatment option if permanent kidney failure occurs.
