Diabetes: A Major Cause for Kidney Failure

Kidney failure can be identified as a condition when kidneys lose their ability to remove waste from the body and maintain the level of essential salts and fluids in the body. Diabetes Mellitus is one of the primary causes of kidney failure which is characterized by mounting blood glucose (sugar) levels. The high sugar level in the blood constantly puts pressure on the kidney leading to potential damage of the tiny filtering units in the kidney. The major treatment alternatives include medications, dialysis, and kidney transplant. In case timely action is not taken the condition of the patient deteriorates leading to failure of one or both kidneys.

The medical terminology used for the condition is diabetic nephropathy or diabetic glomerulosclerosis and studies have shown that around 20 to 30 percent of people suffering from diabetes have the risk of developing kidney diseases. The other problems that can arise include narrowing of the arteries to the kidneys which are known as renovascular disease or renal artery stenosis. A kidney transplant is a final treatment in which a damaged kidney is replaced by a healthy donor kidney.