In India for years Diabetes has been a prominent health concern. According to a report by the Indian Council of Medical Research, 101 million Indians are living with diabetes and another 136 million individuals are in pre-diabetes stages. What’s even more concerning is how diabetes can affect overall health. It can lead to heart failure, heart-attack and even untimely death because of heart disease. An often-underestimated threat of diabetes is that it affects the kidneys. Diabetes is the main cause for kidney disease, which affects about one in three adults with diabetes.
Kidneys get affected by high blood sugar
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a serious and potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes. Over time High blood sugar levels can affect kidney function. Many individuals with diabetes also develop high blood pressure, which can strain the delicate blood vessels within the kidneys, causing further damage. Further, high lipid levels are often observed in individuals with diabetes, which also contribute to kidney damage.
CKD in diabetes often starts silently, with no visible symptoms in the early stages. However, as the disease advances, people may experience symptoms such as swelling in the legs and breathlessness, bone disease, electrolyte disorders like metabolic acidosis and uncontrolled blood pressure. Many individuals don’t recognize that they have CKD, until it is advanced, which leads to significant heart-diseases, or needs maintenance-dialysis, which is a treatment that filters the blood or a kidney transplant to survive. There are many treatment and management strategies available to reduce the progression of CKD, prevent complications including untimely death, and improve the overall quality of life. Making the right lifestyle choices in terms of diet and exercise is a key in managing CKD. There are some lifestyle changes which you should be considered.
Diet
To control blood sugar levels, consume a balanced diet. Reduce high-sodium and high-potassium foods to control blood pressure and kidney function. Limit protein consumption, so that in advanced cases, it will ease kidney strain. These dietary changes need to be made only with the guidance from your healthcare provider.
Exercise
Regular physical activity improves insulin sensitivity, aids blood sugar control, and supports cardiovascular health in CKD management.
Manage hypertension
Diabetes causes the walls of the blood vessels to harden, which leads to high blood pressure. This causes the blood vessels to become less effective at filtering blood, and unable to deliver oxygen and nutrients to kidney tissue. It is important to take the blood-pressure medicines regularly, as recommended by the healthcare provider.
Manage lipid levels
Diabetes frequently results in deranged lipid profile, including high levels of bad cholesterol, triglycerides and low levels of good cholesterol. The deranged lipid profile in diabetes poses well known risk for vascular disease in kidneys, brain, heart as well as gangrene of lower limbs. Managing the blood lipid levels, along with the glucose and blood-pressure levels, is an important aspect of holistic care for CKD in diabetes.
Weight management
To prevent CKD progression, maintain a healthy weight. Weight loss may be recommended with physical activity and diet control. The routine for optimum physical activity needs to be tailored for every individual person. However, it is important to follow the guidance of your healthcare provider, for optimizing your physical-activity routine.
Tobacco consumption and smoking
Smoking or any other form of tobacco consumption are known to harm the blood vessels and has a major risk to the heart and vascular system, including kidney disease. Cessation of smoking and tobacco consumption is important to reduce the major risk of diseases and complications.
Lifestyle changes play an important role in slowing its progression. Medications will help to manage blood pressure, blood sugar and lipid profile which are essential components of the treatment. Additionally, medicines to delay kidney-disease progression, are an important component of treatment regimen. Dialysis or kidney transplantation can be life-sustaining interventions in advanced cases. If you have diabetes, it is imperative to work closely with your doctor to monitor and manage your kidney health.
Diabetes greatly affects overall well-being, increasing the risk of cardiovascular and renal diseases. Let’s commit to vigilant management of diabetes and kidney health.
https://www.everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes/living-with/easy-ways-to-protect-your-kidneys/
