Diabetes and Kidney Disease Diabetes is a potentially disastrous condition that affects kidneys, blood vessels and every other organ in the body. It is a disease in which the body is unable to produce or properly use insulin. Insulin, a hormone that is necessary for converting starches, sugar and other food into energy. The thing that leads to diabetes is unknown and there is no known cure although effective control may be achieved under a doctor's care. Endocrinologists are specialists that treat diabetes. They are easy to find in most areas. Here are some examples: David Alster, MD of Tucson AZ, Ernest Asamoah, MD, FRCP, FACP, FACE of Indianapolis, IN, Stephen W. Anderson, MD of Atlanta, GA, Werner G. Schroffner, MD, FACP, FACE of Honolulu, HI, Eric Mason Dyess, MD, FACE in Jackson, MS, Bruce F. Bower, MD, FACE of West Hartford, CT, Carlos Ramon Arguello, MD, FACE of Birmingham, AL, James Anthony Mack, MD in Billings, MT, Dr Minna Woo of Toronto, Smita Bijlani, MD in Rochester Hills, MI In 2005, it was estimated that there were 20.8 million adults and children who are afflicted with the disease. That is pretty close to 7% of the population. Of all of those, 14.6 million people had been diagnosed, but 6.2 million people were thought to have diabetes but they had not found out yet. In addition, just about 54 million children and adults are pre-diabetic with one and a half million new cases in people over the age of 20, found annually. Diabetes is the most common cause of renal disease. In fact, hypertension and diabetes are the primary causes of kidney disease, responsible for about 70 percent of kidney failure with diabetes accounting of 44 percent of kidney failure cases. The early stages of kidney disease have virtually so signs . It injures your body and by the time it is detected, the damage is so far advanced that it quite often is too involved to prevent failure of the kidneys. Once your kidneys fail, you have two options: dialysis or kidney transplant. If you do not receive either one of these, you will eventually die. How Diabetes causes Renal Disease When both kidneys are working as they should, the glomeruli (tiny filters that are in the kidneys) keep proteins inside of your blood. Protein is vital for a multitude of operations inside of your body and are needed for keeping you healthy. Diabetes causes too high of a concentration of glucose in the blood which damages the glomeruli. This means that they can't maintain the protein in the body and it leaks into the urine from the glomeruli. When kidneys are thus damaged they no longer function efficiently and do not clean our extra fluids and waste as they should. When this occurs, the fluids and waste build up in the bloodstream instead of being removed in the urine. The longer this happens, the worse the damage becomes until the kidneys eventually fail. The Progression of Renal Disease It can take years for kidney disease from diabetes to develop. Some diabetics experience hyperfiltration in the first few years of their diabetes. This means that the glomeruli actually leak out more than normal. Once damage starts, though, it continues. While developing kidney disease, they will have a blood protein called albumin that begins to flow into the urine in small amounts. At this time, usually the glomeruli are actually working normally. The progression of the disease will lead to more protein leaking into the urine and the glomeruli begin to systematically fail as the filtering mechanism begins to drop. Waste is retained in the body due to the filtration failure. Eventually, the kidneys cease to function. How to Prevent Kidney Problems if you have Diabetes Once you have diabetes, you can usually prevent kidney problems. Use these steps to protect yourself: * Control your diabetes by eating the right foods and exercising regularly * Take your medication as your doctor has directed * Have your medical provider test your blood and urine routinely for kidney problems * If testing shows that you do have kidney problems, look into medicines like ARBs and ACE inhibitors that can help keep your kidneys healthy. A diagnosis of diabetes does not have to result in kidney disease. As long as you treat your condition, manage it well and follow your physician's orders, there is no reason that you can't live a long, healthy, happy life - without kidney disease. Internet Marketers find your own totally unique version of this article at http://endlessfreeplr.com