It is estimated that approximately 20 million people in the US have diabetes mellitus. There are two types of diabetes.
Types 1 and 2
Only 5%-10% of those with diabetes suffer from the more serious type 1 diabetes. In this type, the body stops making insulin, resulting in the need for the patient to take insulin daily.This type is more likely to lead to kidney failure. Up to 40% of those with type 1 develop kidney failure by the age of 50.
The vast majority (90%-95%) of diabetic patients have type 2 diabetes and do not require daily insulin doses. Type 2 most often occurs in people over 40, but can occur at any age. Many are overweight and do not know they have the disease.
Number One Cause
Diabetes is the number one cause of kidney disease, with nearly five of every 10 people entering the Medicare ESRD Program suffering from it. Anyone with diabetes is at high risk for developing diabetic nephropathy. How does it develop? The kidney filters through millions of tiny structures called glomeruli, which consist of capillaries. While the blood flows through the capillaries, the waste material is filtered out into the urine and passed to the bladder while valuable glucose and proteins are retained.
It is believed that diabetes causes the kidneys to start overworking by attempting to filter out excess sugar. Over time, the small blood vessels in the kidney are damaged. Scar-like material builds up on the capillary walls where most of the filtering process occurs. Thickening of the capillary walls also occurs. As a result, wastes are not eliminated and continue to build in the body while other valuable substances are passed with the urine. When the kidneys nearly completely stop cleaning the blood of wastes, renal failure occurs.
Preventing Renal Failure
Everyone with diabetes should work diligently with their doctor to prevent renal failure because it is irreversible in its later stages. Because of that fact, more and more researchers are concentrating on preventing the condition altogether.
Usually, 20 or more years will pass before the kidneys fail due to diabetes. For those who live with diabetes for more than 25 years without the signs or symptoms of kidney failure, their risk of developing it decreases.
A number of scientific studies have shown that comprehensive, intensive management of diabetes mellitus is critically important in staving off kidney failure. Two major studies have concluded that those with an intensive regimen for controlling blood glucose had a 33%-50% decrease in the development and progression of early diabetic nephropathy.
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Last Updated April 2007