The Link between Diabetes and Kidney Diseases
Diabetes mellitus, usually just known as diabetes, is a disease where the body is unable to either produce adequate amount of insulin or use the insulin that is produced. Insulin is a hormone that controls the amount of sugar present in the blood. A high blood sugar level can cause a number of critical health issues. The two most common types of diabetes are Type 1 (usually found in children) and Type 2 (found in adults over 40). About 30% of those with Type 1 diabetes and up to 40% of those with Type 2 will suffer from kidney diseases.
How Diabetes Affects the Kidneys One of the consequences of diabetes is that the blood vessels in the body, especially the small ones, are easily damaged. When this happens in the kidneys, they cannot perform their key function which is to clean the blood and remove the waste from the body that builds up in the blood. The body will also retain more water and salt than it should, leading to weight gain and swollen joints. Protein will also remain, in excessive quantities, in the blood. Another problem is that diabetes can cause damage to the nerves. This leads to urological problems like difficulty in emptying the bladder which in turn causes the bladder pressure to build up and cause kidney damage. If urine with a high sugar content remains in the body for too long a time, the chance of infections developing increases.