5 kidney disease symptoms that people with diabetes often ignore

Kidney disease is one of the major complications associated with diabetes. Although people with diabetes are often aware of the risk to kidney health, many early warning signs go unnoticed, allowing kidney disease to progress silently.

In diabetic patients, persistently high blood sugar levels can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys. This impairs kidney function, weakening their ability to filter waste and excess fluid from the body, according to the UK health website Medical News Today .

Frequent calf cramps may be a sign of impaired kidney function.

Warning signs of kidney disease that people with diabetes often overlook include:

Foamy urine

One of the earliest signs of diabetic kidney disease is high levels of protein in the urine. This condition causes the urine to foam or bubble. This indicates that the kidneys' filtering function has deteriorated. However, many patients consider foamy urine normal, leading to delayed detection of kidney disease.

Frequent nighttime urination

Diabetes can cause frequent urination, especially at night. This is because when the kidneys are damaged, their ability to filter waste decreases, leading to more frequent urination. However, when patients notice the symptom of frequent urination, they attribute it to other factors such as drinking a lot of water before bed or age.

Swelling of the feet and hands.

Diabetic kidney disease often leads to a buildup of waste products and fluids in the body, resulting in swelling, particularly in the feet and ankles. In some cases, swelling may also occur in the hands.

This edema is a sign that the kidneys' ability to balance fluids and sodium in the body has deteriorated. However, patients often mistakenly believe that this swelling is due to weight gain.

Leg cramps

Frequent calf cramps, especially at night, can be a symptom of kidney problems in people with diabetes. However, patients often attribute this to aging.

Muscle cramps occur due to an imbalance of electrolytes such as calcium and potassium. The levels of these minerals are regulated by the kidneys. Impaired kidney function can easily lead to imbalances of these important minerals in the blood.

Fatigue and anemia

When kidney function declines, waste products accumulate in the blood, leading to fatigue. Additionally, the kidneys secrete the hormone erythropoietin, which is essential for red blood cell production. Kidney damage causes a decrease in erythropoietin levels, resulting in anemia, causing pale skin and general weakness, according to Medical News Today .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/5-trieu-chung-benh-than-ma-nguoi-mac-tieu-duong-hay-bo-qua-18525010715462412.htm