Diabetic Kidney Disease

In today's world, diabetes is one of the leading causes of Kidney Disease. Kidney Disease that occurs in Diabetic patients is referred to as Diabetic Kidney Disease. This condition is also called Diabetic Nephropathy. 

Diabetes causes injury to the small blood vessels in the kidney which in turn prevents the kidney from cleansing the blood properly. This leads to retention of water and salt in the body leading to weight gain and swelling. Also, damage to nerves in diabetic patients leads to difficulty in emptying the bladder. So as a result of improper emptying, there is a frequent chance of urinary tract infection. 

Some of the symptoms of diabetic kidney disease are the excretion of albumin in the urine, weight gain, ankle swelling, high blood pressure, and anemia. 

There are four stages of the disease. Among these, stage 4 leads to a severe loss of function of kidneys and is often irreversible. 

Kidneys are easily affected mostly in patients with Type 1 Diabetes. Till now, there is no cure for diabetic nephropathy but appropriate treatment can delay or even stop the progression to an advanced stage.