Kidney Problems in Diabetics who are Obese
Both diabetics and obesity are linked to kidney failure. There are many people 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. Kidney failure and damage in a diabetic patient is known as diabetic nephropathy.
The kidneys’ job is to clean the blood but when the blood has excess sugar (glucose) present it causes damage to the kidneys. This damage 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 people and diabetics are a problem to these organs and other functions in body.
There really aren’t any symptoms for the early signs of kidney damage. You probably will not know that it is occurring unless your doctor performs a test to check for protein in your urine (done with a dip stick in the office). If the doctor finds 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 job of cleaning the blood. Action will need to be taken to get blood glucose levels under control to prevent further damage to the kidneys.
If your kidneys fail you are at risk for high 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 point are dialysis or a kidney transplant. Dialysis is a method to clean your blood using an external machine you are hooked up to that your blood is run through and then put back in your body.
