Diabetes, Obesity, Kidneys: The Deadly Trio: Expect Advice

Both diabetics and obesity are linked to renal failure. There are many individuals who are both diabetic and obese and they have an increased risk of being diagnosed with serious kidney problems that lead to dialysis or the need for a transplant. Diabetic nephropathy is the term used to describe kidney deterioration and failure in diabetic patients.

The kidneys’ task is to clean the blood but when the blood has excess sugar (glucose) present it causes damage to the kidneys. This injury can happen even before someone knows they are diabetic or if they are not diabetic bur are considered obese. High blood sugars that are present in the bodies of obese individuals and diabetics are a problem to these organs and other functions in body.

There really aren’t any symptoms for the early indications of kidney damage. You probably will not know that it is occurring unless your doctor conducts a test to check for protein in your urine (done with a dip stick in the office). If the doctor discovers the presence of protein it will be closely monitored depending on the amount of protein present. 

During the beginning stages of diabetic nephropathy the kidneys are still able to function and do their task of cleaning the blood. Action will need to be taken to get blood glucose levels under control to prevent further injury to the kidneys.

If your kidneys fail you are at risk for elevated blood pressure and the build-up of toxins in your blood because the kidneys are not able to filter them out. The two options available at this juncture are dialysis or a kidney transplant. Dialysis is a method to clean your blood using an external machine you are connected up to that your blood is run through and then put back in your body