There are many reasons one’s kidneys might fail, but a primary cause of chronic kidney disease is diabetes. About one in three adults with diabetes suffers from chronic kidney disease, or up to 40% of type-2 diabetes patients.
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD), also known as diabetic nephropathy, happens when your kidney has trouble filtering waste from your blood. Left untreated, the kidney may eventually fail, which would require you to undergo dialysis or get a transplant.
According to the 2018 Malaysia Dialysis and Transplant Registry report, 69.2% of end-stage patients have DKD. Here are three more things you should know about diabetes-related kidney disease in Malaysia.
1. Lack of symptoms
It generally takes years for diabetes to damage the kidneys and, even when it happens, DKD symptoms usually don’t show up until late in the course of the disease.
Both diabetes and kidney disease have no symptoms in the early stages, which often leaves them undiagnosed.
Even symptoms related to both conditions tend to go unnoticed. These include weight gain, swollen ankles, nausea or vomiting, lethargy, frothy urine, itching, reduced appetite, leg swelling, blurred vision, and “floaters” in one’s sight.
2. Eat in moderation
The best way to prevent diabetes-related kidney complications is to maintain healthy blood glucose levels. This doesn’t mean you have to only eat salads while others indulge in briyani; you can still join in, but choose your food intake wisely.
Clinical dietician Poh Kai Ling, from a medical centre in Kuala Lumpur, advises following the “Malaysian Healthy Plate” concept, which involves portion sizes of a quarter plate each of complex carbohydrates and proteins, and a half plate of fruits and vegetables.
“The goal is to practise healthy balanced meals consisting of a variety of foods while observing balance control,” she said.
Those with diabetes or who are pre-diabetic may still consume carbs in moderation while reducing intake of sodium, which will help lower blood pressure and decrease fluid buildup in the body.
3. Treatment options
The key to successful management of diabetes and kidney disease is a strong relationship between the patient and his or her primary doctor, with support from family members and other healthcare professionals such as dieticians and nurses.
Diabetic patients who are asymptomatic are still encouraged to go for kidney and heart screenings, even though the recommendation to screen for cardiovascular disease has been in contention and needs to be accessed individually.
For diabetic kidney disease, screening can be done through a urine test to look for protein (albumin) leakage, as well as a blood (serum creatinine) test to look at kidney function. Screening should be done on the date of diagnosis for those with type-2 diabetes, and five years after the onset of type-1 diabetes.
As with all health matters, early detection, prevention, and treatment are key, so make sure you get yourself checked regularly.