How Long Can You Live On Dialysis With Diabetes

Kidney patients usually don't begin dialysis unless their kidney function level is quite low. Diabetes is the leading cause of end stage kidney disease, while it may also be one complication of kidney disease. If dialysis patients also have diabetes, how long can they live?

Because of unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle or inherited disorder, the incidence rate of diabetes, either type 1 or type 2, is quite high. If kidney disease is caused by diabetes, we call it Diabetic Nephropathy. In turn, kidney disease can also increase the risk of diabetes. For example, quite a number of kidney disease patients are suggested to take steroids, while high blood sugar is just one common side effect of steroids or immunosuppressants.

Most often, kidney failure caused by diabetic nephropathy is more severe than that caused by other types of kidney disorders, because diabetic kidney disease is more likely to induce more dangerous complications like cardiovascular disease and heart failure, which are leading death causes for ESRD patients. Thereby, patients whose kidney failure is due to diabetes usually need to begin dialysis earlier, in order to prolong their life expectancy.

Generally, the average lifespan for dialysis patients is about 5~10 years, but this may be shortened for diabetic nephropathy patients. Of course, the exact life expectancy should depend on patients' detailed illness condition.

How to extend these patients' life expectancy? The managements should start from making correct dietary changes, developing a healthy lifestyle, managing diabetic complications timely, and doing gentle exercise regularly. All of these methods can help improve patients' life quality and make them live easier with dialysis.

If patients still have certain kidney function, they had better take some therapies that can improve their kidney function. If enough fortunately, patients can even get rid of dialysis.

Tag: Diabetic Nephropathy Dialysis Dialysis Life Expectancy

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