Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy is kidney disease or damage that can occur in people with diabetes. It is also known as Kimmelstiel-Wilson syndrome, or nodular diabetic glomerulosclerosis and intercapillary glomerulonephritis.



Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Each kidney is made of hundreds of thousands of small units called nephrons. These structures filter your blood and help remove waste from your body.

In people with diabetes, the nephrons thicken and slowly become scarred over time.
    - The kidneys begin to leak and protein (albumin) passes into the urine.
    - This damage can happen years before any symptoms begin.
    - The exact cause is unknown. However, kidney damage is more likely if there is poor control of diabetes and high blood pressure.

In some cases, your family history may also play a role. Not everyone with diabetes develops this kidney problem.

People with diabetes who smoke, and those with type 1 diabetes that started before age 20 have a higher risk for kidney problems.

People of African-American, Hispanic, and American Indian origin are also more likely to have kidney damage.

Symptoms
Often, there are no symptoms as the kidney damage starts and slowly gets worse. Kidney damage can begin 5 to 10 years before symptoms start.

People who have more severe and long-term (chronic) kidney disease may have symptoms such as:
    - Fatigue most of the time
    - General ill feeling
    - Headache
    - Nausea and vomiting
    - Poor appetite
    - Swelling of the legs

Sources:  www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, www.wikipedia.com, www.youtube.com

The above post is brought to you by Melanie Santiago, who enjoys helping people be healthy. Click here to get to know Melanie Santiago better.