What to do if you have elevated urine protein in diabetes

  According to clinical evidence, there are more and more diabetic patients in China today, and many of them are plagued by diabetes-related complications. One of them is diabetic nephropathy, which is a persistent increase in urinary protein in diabetic patients. The amount of protein in urine is not only related to the degree of kidney damage, but also one of the main indicators to consider the progress of chronic kidney disease patients such as diabetic nephropathy, which should be paid attention to early. Normal adults have negative urine protein in routine tests. However, if renal lesions cause changes in glomerular function, resulting in increased permeability of the glomerular filtration membrane, the protein in the glomerular filtrate may increase beyond the renal tubular reabsorption capacity, resulting in albumin-based proteinuria.  The symptoms of diabetic nephropathy include proteinuria, edema, anemia, hypertension, and renal failure. Generally speaking, in the early stage, there is no abnormality in the routine urine test of diabetic patients. At this time, if diabetes is not detected early and treated correctly, patients will further develop a large amount of proteinuria and develop into diabetic nephropathy. When the condition of diabetic patients deteriorates and progresses to the clinical stage, it becomes more difficult to treat diabetes, and if the condition continues to progress until uremia occurs, it will seriously affect the quality of life. Therefore, high diabetic urine protein requires early attention from patients. Early diabetic nephropathy can be without edema, with the increase of urine protein and decrease of plasma protein, edema will gradually appear. Edema mainly occurs in the face, lower limbs and ankles, waist and back, and a few people with fast progressing disease may have hypoproteinemia and generalized edema. After the appearance of proteinuria, the glomerular filtration rate decreases, and renal hypofunction begins to appear, urea nitrogen rises, azotemia develops, and renal failure can develop. According to incomplete statistical reports, renal failure occurs in about 20% within 6 years, 50% within 10 years and 75% within 15 years after the appearance of proteinuria, with an average survival period of about 15 years. In addition, diabetic nephropathy can cause mild to moderate anemia, which is due to impaired red blood cell production caused by azotemia. Chronic proteinuria can also cause hypertension and can aggravate the disease and make it further worse.