Diabetes affects the kidneys, usually in a slow and progressive manner, often taking one or two decades before it causes kidney damage. Diabetic nephropathy has now become one of the major causes of chronic renal insufficiency. According to medical observation, 30% of insulin-dependent diabetic patients will have complications of nephropathy in the future; while for non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients, it is about 10%~12%. The trouble is that non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients often have renal insufficiency for many years without being aware of it, and when the diagnosis is established, nephropathy has already formed. Diabetes is the third leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease and tumors, and uremia due to diabetic nephropathy is one of the leading causes of death. Causes The causes of diabetic nephropathy are still the focus of current research, and the more scholars are sure that there are three factors such as hypertension, metabolic abnormalities and genetics. It is found that when long-term hyperglycemia, blood pressure will also rise, which will increase the blood flow in the human body and increase the intra-glomerular microvascular pressure, leading to an increase in the glomerular filtration rate; and due to the role of metabolic problems such as hyperglycemia, high serum insulin and high blood lipids, causing structural changes in the glomerulus, which will lead to protein aggregation in the renal interstitium and induce the release of various inflammatory factors, resulting in cell proliferation and hypertrophy, and finally the formation of nephrosclerosis. The result is the formation of nephrosclerosis. If the diabetic neuropathy causes bladder dysfunction, which leads to infection or urinary tract obstruction, then the kidney function will be further damaged. Stage of development Clinically, it is customary to divide diabetic nephropathy into five stages. Stage I: renal hypertrophy and high glomerular filtration rate, clinically asymptomatic; Stage II: early lesions appear on renal biopsy (biopsy) after several years, but the glomerular filtration rate is still increased or normal; Stage III: the patient develops microalbuminuria, with a daily excretion of more than 20 mg and less than 200 mg; Stage IV: persistent proteinuria, with a daily albuminuria excretion of more than 200 mg. above 200 mg; this stage is often accompanied by the appearance of hypertension and deterioration of renal function; stage 5: usually occurs 5 to 10 years after the appearance of significant proteinuria, and 70% of patients will develop uremia; before stage 3, if blood sugar is strictly controlled, changes in renal function are reversible. However, beyond the third stage, the kidney structure is gradually destroyed and the function deteriorates. Therefore, diabetic patients must strictly control blood glucose and blood pressure, and regularly check kidney function to avoid the development of nephropathy.