Diabetic Nephropathy and Its Symptoms

Diabetic Nephropathy (DN), a clinically common and frequently-occurring diabetic complication, is one of the most severe complications of Diabetes. It is a major microvascular complication of Diabetes and mainly refers to diabetic glomerular sclerosis, a glomerular lesion with vascular damage as its principal feature. Generally, there is no symptom at the early stage, with the blood pressure normal or higher than normal. The incidence will increase with the prolongation course of Diabetes. Renal changes at the early stage of Diabetes include kidney enlargement，rise in Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and a high GFR state and intermittent proteinuia or micro-albuminuria will gradually occur. Along with the prolongation of the course of DN, there will be continuous proteinuria, edema, high blood pressure and decrease of GFR, followed by renal inadequacy and uremia, which is the main cause of death in Diabetes. Usually Ganoderma Sinense is used to prevent or treat DN.

Symptoms

I Proteinuria. There is no clinical proteinuria at the early stage of DN, and only with radio-immunity method can micro-albunminuria be detected. Clinically, the only manifestation of early-stage DN is proteinuria, which gradually develops from intermittent to continuous.

II Edema. Usually there is no clinical edema at the early stage of DN. Mild edema may occur in a small number of patients before their plasma protein is lowered. Massive proteinuria, with low plasma protein and aggravated edema, is usually a manifestation that the disease has reached an advanced stage.

III Hypertension. Compared with healthy people, incidence rate of hypertension in patients with Type-1 Diabetes but without Nephropathy is not increased, while in patients with Type-2 Diabetes, more are accompanied by hypertension. But when proteinuria occurs, hypertension rate will also increase. Patients with Nephropathy Syndrome will have hypertension, most of which are moderate and only a small part are severe.

IV Renal failure. Progression speed of DN is greatly differentiated. Slight proteinuria may last for many years for some patients with normal renal function, while some patients who have little urine protein may develop rapidly into Nephropathy Syndrome with renal function deteriorating gradually, and Uremia occurs eventually.

V Anemia. Slight anemia may occur in patients with obvious Azotemia.

VI Complication manifestations of other organs. These complications include cardiovascular lesions such as Cardiac Failure and Myocardial Infarction, neural lesions such as peripheral neuropathy, and neurogenic bladder caused by involvement of autonomic nerves. Retinopathy will almost certainly occur when DN becomes severe. However, severe retinopathy is not necessarily accompanied with obvious renal lesions. Retinopathy deterioration is usually quickened with the progression of DN.

This message from: Nephrotic Syndrome http://www.nephrotic-syndrome.org/
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