by Jeannette Payne

Created on: May 10, 2011   Last Updated: May 12, 2011

Diabetic kidney disease, also known as diabetic nephropathy, is caused by the changes in the blood vessels over time that eventually leads to damage in the kidneys. Not everyone with diabetes will experience diabetic kidney disease. It is alleged to be caused by the presence of both diabetes and high blood pressure although it has not been officially determined.

The Start of Diabetic Kidney Disease

There are two types of diabetes and diabetic kidney disease can occur with either of them but there are differences in their starting point. For individuals that have type 1 diabetes, the onset of the damage to the kidneys may start within a year of the onset of the diabetes. With type 2 diabetes, the onset of the associated kidney disease may not start for another five or ten years.

Risk Factors Involved

There is a variety of risk factors involved, some of which are more controllable than others. The range in the numbers of individuals estimated to progress to having this disease is wide. It is estimated that anywhere between 6 and 27 percent of people with type 1 diabetes may have diabetic kidney disease.

The range for individuals having type 2 diabetes is much higher – anywhere between 25 and 50 percent. Individuals of an Afro-Caribbean descent have even more likelihood to progress to having this condition.

Other risk factors include the individual exercising poor control over their blood sugar. Individuals who have high blood pressure, even the more modest severities of this condition, are at greater risk for this type of kidney disease. Smoking, having diabetes that started in the teenage years, being male, and having relatives with kidney disease or high blood pressure also increase chances.

Symptoms of Diabetic Kidney Disease

Depending on the source of information on diabetic kidney disease that a person finds, there may be different symptoms noted. The most common symptoms are as a result of decreased kidney function because there are no symptoms at the initial onset. These symptoms include:

• An itching of the skin;
• A metallic taste in the mouth;
• Nausea and/or vomiting;
• Heartburn;
• Fatigue;
• A build-up of fluid in the tissue, called edema, present in the eyelids and limbs.

The Progress of the Disease

Diabetic kidney disease can progress in different ways for any particular person but its general progression can be divided up into four main stages. It centers around the level of protein

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>