Diabetic Nephropathy

Question: Which is the best early indicator for diabetic nephropathy? A 25-year-old man has had type 1 diabetes mellitus for 5 years. His physician is concerned about the possibility of permanent renal damage. Which is the best early indicator for diabetic nephropathy?

Answer: Albuminuria

Question: diabetic nephropathy? I want to know details. I went to my endocrinologist and he told me I need more vitamin D and my protein isn't going through my kidneys, but he didn't explain. How can I make my protein go through is the insulin stopping it help me reverse it. I don't want to die thanks bluebirdshark@yahoo.com

Answer: http://renux.dmed.ed.ac.uk/edren/EdRenIN… Look here for information on diabetic nephropathy. Don't be afraid to ask your doctor questions. Just pick up the phone and ask... it's your life and your health and that's what the doctor is getting paid for.

Question: I have alot of medical problems and was just diagnosed with DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY. What might my life span be ? I have full-blown rheumatoid arthritis and just had my 17th surgery in 18 years. I also have an under-active thyroid, type 2 diabetes, highBP, depression, irregular heart beat, raynaud's disease, growth hormone deficiency, high cholesterol and sleep apnea.

Answer: Consult your doctor.

Question: Can a hit to the kidney area in the back cause Diabetic nephropathy to accelerate? I should add that the person is diabetic and diabetic nephropathy is already a suspicion. Could a hit in the back cause this condition to accelerate?

Answer: there is no relation between kidney trauma and diabetic nephropathy but kidney trauma can cause kidney injury and bleeding which makes the problem worse if happened

Question: how does diabetic nephropathy affect the kidneys and is there a way to slow the damage?

Answer: The exact cause of diabetic nephropathy is unknown, but it is believed that uncontrolled high blood sugar leads to the development of kidney damage. In some cases, your genes or family history may also play a role. Not all persons with diabetes develop this condition. Each kidney is made of hundreds of thousands of filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron has a cluster of tiny blood vessels called a glomerulus. Together these structures help remove waste from the body. Too much blood sugar can damage these structures, causing them to thicken and become scarred. Slowly, over time, more and more blood vessels are destroyed. The kidney structures begin to leak and protein (albumin) begins to pass into the urine. Persons with diabetes who have the following risk factors are more likely to develop this condition: * African American, Hispanic, or American Indian origin * Family history of kidney disease or high blood pressure * Poor control of blood pressure * Poor control of blood sugars * Type 1 diabetes before age 20 * Smoking Diabetic nephropathy generally goes along with other diabetes complications including high blood pressure, retinopathy, and blood vessel changes.

Question: what is diabetic nephropathy?? my mom is diagnosed with diabetic nephropathy. her urologist told her that she has only 51% of her kidneys that is functioning well but she is not yet in the stage of having a dialysis. is there any cure for my mom's condition? my mom refused to have a kidney transplant or a dialysis (she thinks she's too old for that and she thinks that she would suffer more) in the future if the time comes that both of her kidneys deteriorates already. what should she eat? what diet should she take? what is the best thing to do now? thanks a lot.

Answer: This is really a long answer, but I think you'll find it helpful. What is diabetic nephropathy? Diabetic nephropathy is a complication of diabetes that is caused by uncontrolled high blood sugar. High blood sugar damages the filtering system of the kidneys (nephron). Over time, the damage can lead to kidney failure. Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of kidney failure in the United States. 1 Preventing or slowing kidney damage is most important in managing this disease. Keeping blood sugar and blood pressure as near to normal as possible and eating a healthy diet can reduce your risk of developing this condition or progressing to kidney failure. What causes diabetic nephropathy? Persistently high blood sugar levels caused by diabetes can, over time, damage the blood vessels in your kidneys, resulting in diabetic nephropathy. What are the symptoms? There are no symptoms in the early stages of diabetic nephropathy. A small amount of protein in the urine (microalbuminuria) is the first sign of kidney damage. As damage to the kidneys progresses, larger amounts of protein spill into the urine (macroalbuminuria) and blood pressure rises. Your cholesterol and triglyceride levels will increase as well. As kidney function declines, you may notice swelling in your body, at first in your feet and legs. Regular checkups with your health professional are important to detect early signs of diabetic nephropathy and begin efforts to prevent further kidney damage. What increases my risk for diabetic nephropathy? For reasons doctors don't yet understand, only some people with diabetes develop nephropathy. Diabetic nephropathy eventually occurs in up to 40% of people who have diabetes. 2 If you have both diabetes and high blood pressure, you have an even greater risk of developing nephropathy. Other risk factors for the disease include smoking and a high cholesterol level. In addition, people of Native American, African-American, or Hispanic (especially Mexican-American) descent have a greater-than-average risk. 1 How is it diagnosed? As the kidney becomes less able to filter wastes, proteins from the blood spill into the urine. One protein, albumin, helps control the fluid balance in the body. Early in diabetic nephropathy, before other symptoms are present, the kidneys are still able to filter waste and function normally. The only sign of kidney disease may be an increase in albumin in the urine. Urine tests for albumin can detect early kidney disease. Microalbumin urine tests can detect very small amounts of protein in the urine that cannot be detected by a routine urine test, allowing early detection of nephropathy. Early detection is important to prevent further damage to the kidneys. Yearly urine tests for protein are recommended for all people with diabetes. If you have type 1 diabetes, you should have a microalbumin test every year after you have had diabetes for 5 years. If your child has diabetes, yearly testing should begin at puberty. If you have type 2 diabetes, you should begin yearly testing at the time you are diagnosed with diabetes. How can it be prevented? Diabetic nephropathy can be prevented or its progress slowed by carefully keeping your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible. You can do this by maintaining a healthy weight, taking your medications as prescribed, checking your blood sugar level frequently, and exercising regularly. At the first sign of too much protein in your urine, there are high blood pressure medications that you can take to slow the progression of nephropathy. How is it treated? Medications that lower blood pressure and prevent or slow the development of diabetic nephropathy are recommended for all people who have diabetes and have a high risk for nephropathy. Examples of these medications are angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs). You may need to take more than one medication, especially if you also have high blood pressure. Treatment to control blood pressure and blood sugar levels can reduce kidney failure caused by diabetes by 50%. 3 Other steps you can take include the following: Work with your health professional to keep your blood pressure below 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). This blood pressure level is recommended by the American Diabetes Association. The level recommended by other organizations may vary. Talk with your doctor about what your target blood pressure level should be. Work with your health professional to keep your cholesterol level as close to normal as possible. You may need to take medications to help lower your cholesterol. Eat a low-fat diet and exercise regularly to maintain a healthy weight. People with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely than people who don't have diabetes to die of heart and blood vessel diseases. Eating a low-fat diet can help prevent heart attack, stroke, and other large blood vessel disease (macrovascular disease). Talk to your health professional about a referral to a dietitian. A dietitian can help you choose foods that are low in fat and help you reach your goals. 4 Eat a moderate amount of protein to reduce the stress on your kidneys. Most doctors recommend that protein make up no more than 10% of your daily calories. Limit the amount of salt in your diet to prevent high blood pressure from becoming worse (if your blood pressure is affected by salt). Do not smoke or use other tobacco products.

Question: Diabetic Nephropathy Diet? Hello My father is 71 and suffers from diabetic nephropathy, it is a kidney disease as a result of diabetes. Our doctor encourage the rest of the family to start him on a strict potassium and phosphate diet. He doesn't really specify what food to eat and not to eat. This become a problem. We have some idea on what food with low potassium and/or phosphate through surfing the web, but we are not sure yet. I hope through yahoo answers a kind person can help us add our list of foods (vegetables, fruits, recipes etc) with low phosphate and/or potassium or If anyone can share their experience in this area please help me, so I can help my father get better. Any food suggestions I would appreciate it. Thank you very much for your help and answers.

Answer: Guidelines of a Low Potassium Diet: Be sure to cook frozen fruits and vegetables in water; rinse and drain well before serving. Liquid should be drained from all canned fruits and vegetables and rinsed before serving. Potatoes may be peeled, sliced thin, and soaked in water for at least 4 hours or overnight before rinsing and cooking. Leafy green vegetables (collards, spinach, and kale) should also be soaked for at least 4 hours and rinsed well before cooking. This helps to significantly lower the amount of potassium in these foods. Check labels for words that include potassium, such as potassium chloride, to avoid potassium hidden in foods. Avoid salt substitutes; many of them contain potassium. Salt-free herb blends and spices are acceptable. Limit foods that are high in potassium. High Potassium Foods Fruits: Apricots, canned and fresh Banana Cantaloupe Dried fruits - apricots, dates, figs, prunes Honeydew melon Kiwi Nectarine Orange Orange Juice Pear, fresh Prune Juice Vegetables Asparagus Avocado Bamboo Shoots Beets Beet Greens Brussels Sprouts Cabbage, Chinese Celery Chard Kohlrabi Okra Pepper, Chili Potatoes, white and sweet Pumpkin Rutabaga Spinach, cooked Squash, winter Tomato Tomato sauce Tomato juice Vegetable juice cocktail Legumes Black-eyed Peas Chick Peas Lentils Lima Beans Navy Beans Red Kidney Beans Soybeans Split Peas Nuts and Seeds Almonds Brazil Nuts Cashews Peanuts Peanut Butter Pecans Pumpkin Seeds Sunflower Seeds Walnuts Breads and Cereals Bran Whole Grain Miscellaneous Chocolate Cocoa Coconut Milk and Milk Products Molasses Substitute Salt Is there anything I can do to reduce potassium in my diet? • Cook frozen fruits and vegetables in water. Rinse and drain well before eating. • Rinse and drain all canned fruits and vegetables well before eating. • Check food labels carefully for ingredients that have potassium in their name. There may be sources of hidden potassium, such as some artificial sweeteners. • Avoid salt substitutes—many replace sodium chloride with potassium chloride. Salt-free herb blends and spices are acceptable.Is there anything I can do to reduce potassium in my diet? • Cook frozen fruits and vegetables in water. Rinse and drain well before eating. • Rinse and drain all canned fruits and vegetables well before eating. • Check food labels carefully for ingredients that have potassium in their name. There may be sources of hidden potassium, such as some artificial sweeteners. • Avoid salt substitutes—many replace sodium chloride with potassium chloride. Salt-free herb blends and spices are acceptable. This is all I can find. It just tells you what is high so I guess all other veggies and fruits are fair game. Good luck.

Question: In diabetic nephropathy what factors may be resposibile for a low glomerular filtration rate?

Answer: The renal damage which occurs in diabetes, is like most of the complications of diabetes due to micro-vascular, (tiny blood vessel) disease. The glomerulus becomes thickened and leaks protein, detectable in the urine initially as micro-albuminuria, and later as frank protienurea. Over years the kidney function deteriorates and renal failure may eventually result. Ace inhibitors, especially ramipril can slow and in the early stages reverse the problem. I am not sure the mechanism for this is understood.

Question: Question about Diabetic Nephropathy (diabetic kidney damage)? I am asking because I am concerned about my mom Can the damage be stopped if she controls her sugar better? The sites I looked at make it sound like cancer, where once you have it, it just gets worse no matter what you do. Basically, they make it sound as if you are screwed.

Answer: It is my understanding that once you do get it, you cannot reverse the damage. If she will watch her blood sugars better, she can keep the damage to a minium.

Question: diabetic nephropathy stage 3 experts only.? my new nephrologist informed me today that my kidney's were functioning at 49% and that i was to stop all supplements immediately. i find this very disturbing as i feel my carefully researched and selected supplements have enhanced my health overall. anyone out there offer some enlightenment. i am 59. type 1 brittle diabetic for 54 years. can someone answer the question? the first response is very sweet, the second impressive, but i want to know about the supplements. help thank you mark. this is basically what he said. what i don't understand is how he could make such a statement without even inquiring as to what supplements i am taking. thank you for what you mentioned. i can begin my research and yes-get another opinion.

Answer: As you might all ready know, the kidney's act as the body's filtering system. The kidney's remove waste from your blood stream, and also removes electrolytes and water when in excess. The supplements that you are taking, which may contain electrolytes (such as potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, and others), can build up in your system. The electrolytes build up in your system because your "filters" are not working as good as they should. Thus, the supplements/electrolytes are not filtered out of your body and they increase in your blood stream. An increase in certain electrolytes in your blood stream can lead to a number of complications, including fatal arrhythmia's, respiratory failure, and/or many others. Though you may think the supplements are benefiting you now, continuing to use them may lead to a number of health complications. Hoped this help, but when in doubt get a second opinion.