Risks and prophylaxis
As a preventive measure, the patient can prevent or at least delay the development of diabetic nephropathy by strict blood sugar control and therapy.Hyperglycemias (high blood sugar levels) that persist over a long period of time should be avoided if possible, as these are accompanied by a sharp increase in the risk of developing diabetic nephropathy, among other things due to the attachment of sugar molecules to structural proteins of the kidney. In order to be able to measure and control the successful adjustment of blood sugar levels over a longer period of time, it is possible to determine the patient’s HbA1c value in the blood. Hb (haemoglobin) is the oxygen-transporting component of the red blood cells to which the sugar molecules in the blood preferentially attach themselves.
The HbA1c now reflects the percentage of these in the total hemoglobin, which in a healthy patient is a maximum of 6.0 g/dl. If there is an increase in blood sugar levels, this value rises; since red blood cells have an average life span of 120 days, the HbA1c provides information on the average blood sugar levels of the last three months. If hyperglycemia is more frequent, this manifests itself in noticeably elevated values.
In addition to a poorly adjusted blood glucose level, the risk of diabetic nephropathy increases with elevated blood lipid levels and nicotine dependence. Furthermore, there is a genetic influence (predisposition), which was shown in studies of affected families.
All articles in this series:
