Early stage with kidney problems easily treatable

World Kidney Day: High-risk patients should have regular kidney control

03/13/2014

Kidney problems are often relatively easy to treat with early diagnosis. Therefore, especially high-risk patients such as diabetics should urgently go to the check-up regularly, reports the German Diabetes Aid in a press release on the occasion of today's World Kidney Day. Here would be „Already many years before serious damage becomes visible, small amounts of albumin - a special protein in the urine - point to the coming risk.“ The board member of diabetesDE - German Diabetes Aid, Dr. med. med. Jens Kroeger, explained that „At least once a year, diabetics have their urine examined for their albumin content“ should be used to detect possible kidney damage early.

The kidneys perform vital functions by filtering the blood, producing urine, and transporting waste products out of the body. Although a healthy person can theoretically do without one of his two kidneys, „without functioning kidneys, waste products accumulate in the blood and cause poisoning“, reports the German Diabetes Aid. High blood sugar and persistent high blood pressure often lead to damage of the smallest blood vessels in the kidneys of diabetics and thus to diabetic kidney disease. Kröger. „The first signs of damage are that the kidneys are no longer filtering properly and protein is in the urine“, so the board member of the German Diabetes Help on.

Kidney damage is a common consequence of diabetes
Especially in diabetes, kidney disease is a common sequelae, reports the German Diabetes Aid. So would „about 40 to 50 percent of all diabetics“ in the course of their metabolic disease one „diabetic nephropathy“ develop. This in turn leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Due to the drastically reduced filter function of the kidneys, dialysis and possibly even a kidney transplant are often required. According to the German Diabetes Aid, around 20,000 diabetics in Germany are currently dependent on dialysis. This is also because kidney disease often „diagnosed too late and underestimated in importance“ become.

Early therapy delays dialysis and reduces mortality
At first signs of impaired kidney function should, according to the German Diabetes Help „a specialized specialist, the nephrologist, treat it early.“ Appropriate therapeutic care can significantly delay the course of kidney disease until dialysis and reduce mortality. The German Diabetes Aid emphasized that, for example, an optimal adjustment of the blood sugar, blood fat and blood pressure values ​​could prevent damage to the kidneys. „The target value for the blood pressure is 120/80 to 130/80 mmHg“, so continue the German Diabetes Help. In addition, diabetics should be careful with their diet not to exceed the salt intake recommended by their doctor. In addition, smoking is known as a risk factor for the development and progression of kidney disease and should therefore be avoided.

World Kidney Day aims to raise awareness of kidney disease
The German Diabetes Aid advises all diabetics in view of World Kidney Day, „to contact their doctor for their kidneys.“ Because only with appropriate medical advice and support could reduce the kidney disease and the associated health problems. The spokesman of the German Society for Nephrology (DGfN), Professor Jan Galle, stated in an interview on the occasion of World Kidney Day that „awareness of kidney disease and its prevention in all age groups of the population“ should be created, since today „far too few people know what kidney failure means and how to prevent it.“ In total, over 70,000 dialysis patients currently live in Germany, „those with big limitations in quality of life and prognosis“ have to fight. Your „Life expectancy is on average lower than that of cancer or AIDS patients“, but in public, the topic is still perceived much less, said Professor Galle. (Fp)