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3 Ways Diabetes Impacts the Health of Your Kidneys
You can stay healthy and live a thriving life with diabetes, but there’s only one way to do that: You must keep your blood sugar levels in the healthy range — a job you’ll have for the rest of your life, because diabetes is incurable.
High blood sugar causes serious health complications, including diabetic foot ulcers (nonhealing wounds), heart disease, and vision loss.
You also face another health challenge if you have diabetes: Your risk of kidney damage skyrockets. Four out of ten people with diabetes end up with kidney disease, making diabetes the number one cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Deon Middlebrook, MD, specializes in preventing and treating diabetic kidney disease. At our practice, Deon D. Middlebrook MDPC, he provides customized care that supports kidney health, manages diabetes, and helps prevent both diseases from progressing to an advanced stage.
Diabetes poses a significant risk to your kidneys because it can damage them through the following three pathways.
Pathway 1: High blood sugar stops kidney function
High blood sugar damages blood vessels, including the tiny capillaries in your kidneys. Each kidney has about a million nephrons, structures that use the capillaries to filter wastes and excess fluids from your blood.
The ongoing damage thickens the nephrons, scar tissue develops, and they permanently stop working.
People with type 2 diabetes may have kidney damage by the time they’re diagnosed with diabetes or have symptoms of kidney disease.
Pathway 2: Diabetes causes high blood pressure
After diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) is the most common cause of CKD.
Your kidneys help regulate your blood pressure. As diabetes damages the kidneys and they stop working, blood pressure rises (hypertension). At the same time, hypertension from any cause damages the blood vessels in your kidneys.
Without treatment, diabetes and hypertension create an ongoing disease spiral that causes ongoing kidney damage. Kidney disease also progresses toward kidney failure faster if you have high blood pressure.
Pathway 3: Diabetic nerve damage affects your bladder
High blood sugar also damages your nerves, including those carrying messages between your bladder and brain, a condition called neurogenic bladder. When your brain doesn’t get the message that your bladder is full, urine stays there too long. The urine can then back up into your kidneys, increasing pressure and damaging your kidneys.
Holding urine in your bladder makes you more vulnerable to urinary tract infections (UTIs). The bacteria causing a UTI can travel to your kidneys and cause damage.
A neurogenic bladder also raises your risk for kidney stones, which can lead to an infection and kidney damage.
Are you at risk for diabetic kidney disease?
If you have diabetes, you’re already at risk for CKD. Fortunately, type 2 diabetes is preventable if you catch it and make lifestyle changes before the disease takes hold.
Your chances of developing type 2 diabetes increase if you have any of the following risk factors:
- Being overweight or obese
- Not getting enough exercise
- Having high blood pressure
- Having a family history of diabetes
- Consuming high-sugar foods and beverages
The best way to protect your health is to schedule an exam to review your risk factors and test for underlying health conditions.
Most importantly, don’t wait for symptoms before seeking help. Diabetes and kidney disease gradually develop without causing any signs. By the time you have a hint that something is wrong, these diseases have progressed, and they’re no longer preventable.
Call Deon D. Middlebrook MDPC, or request an appointment online whether you need exceptional care for diabetic kidney disease or want to learn more about preventing kidney problems.