Diabetic nephropathy is a complication of “diabetes” that develops over a period of years as a result of a poorly adjusted blood sugar level and can occur regardless of the cause of the metabolic disorder. Permanently elevated blood sugar levels can lead to changes in the vessels of the kidney, as well as structural changes in the filtering organs (glomerula), accompanied by scarring (sclerosis) and thickening of the structures. As a result, the filter also becomes permeable for larger and more complex molecules, such as the proteins of the blood (for example albumin), so that the loss of proteins, among other things, can occur.
The disease progresses inexorably and, without therapy, can lead to a complete loss of kidney function within a few years of the onset of the first symptoms. Due to the increasing number of diabetic patients, diabetic nephropathy is now the most common cause of kidney replacement therapy (dialysis) in Germany, accounting for 35 % of all cases. The disease progresses inexorably and, without treatment, can lead to complete loss of kidney function within a few years of the onset of the first symptoms. Due to the increasing number of diabetes patients, diabetic nephropathy is now the most common cause of kidney replacement therapy (dialysis) in Germany, accounting for 35 % of all patients.
Diabetes mellitus types
Primarily a disturbance of the glucose metabolism, diabetes, is present, which can be divided into two types based on its origin. Type I diabetes is usually conspicuous in children or adolescents due to a metabolic derailment that develops within a short time. In this case, the destruction of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas results in an absolute insulin deficiency, so that the sugar absorbed through food can no longer be absorbed from the blood into the cells, especially the muscle and liver.
As a result, the sugar accumulates in the blood so that the patient reaches very high blood sugar levels within a short time, which are primarily manifested by an increased urge to urinate (glucose excretion via the urine), increased thirst and weight loss. A distinction must be made between type II diabetes, which is more frequently associated with poor nutrition and overweight and is caused by a relative insulin deficiency with simultaneous insulin resistance of the cells. Although insulin continues to be produced by the pancreas, over a longer period of time it has a decreasing effect on the body’s cells, so that increasingly higher insulin levels in the blood are needed to absorb the same amount of sugar into the cells. This also leads to increased blood sugar levels, which can cause permanent damage to various organs (vessels, kidneys, nerves, etc.). Nephropathy is a kidney disease that is not caused by inflammation or damage caused by poison.
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