Edema and Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic Nephropathy is also called Diabetic Kidney Disease that damages kidney filtering structure due to diabetes. With the progression of kidney disease, extra fluid is more likely to collect in the body, resulting in edema. Today, we are here to introduce the causes and treatments of swelling for Diabetic Nephropathy patients.

Causes

Kidneys consist of many tiny blood vessels that eliminate extra fluid and waste products from the body. High blood sugar can cause damage to these blood vessels. Because our kidneys have strong compensatory ability, patients usually don't have obvious symptoms in the early stage. In this condition, kidney damage is still reversible.

If uncontrolled effectively, diabetic nephropathy may aggravate into kidney failure gradually. With the loss of kidney function, there is an increase in blood pressure and fluid retention, causing the decline of plasma osmotic pressure. Finally, swelling or edema may appear around eyes or in legs, feet, ankles, and so on.

Treatments

For patients with diabetic nephropathy, high blood sugar is always their concern. To protect kidneys from further damage and manage related complications, patients should control their blood sugar tightly. Correct diabetic medications along with one sugar-free, low-sodium and low-protein diet plan are quite helpful to keep blood sugar in the normal range.

To alleviate patients' swelling, they should firstly control their intake of fluid and sodium. In the same time, choosing high-quality protein to increase patients' plasma osmotic pressure, but the total amount should be limited. In clinic, some medicines can help ease this symptom such as diuretic, ACEI and ARBs. Besides, elevating the swollen region is also helpful to ease patients' swelling.

The above methods are useful to ease Diabetic Nephropathy patients' swelling. However, if patients want to get greater therapeutic effects, they should take some therapies that can repair damaged kidney filters. If you are interested, you can consult the doctor online to learn more about these therapies.

Tag: Diabetic Nephropathy Diabetic Nephropathy Symptoms

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