Diabetes Chronic Disease is a disease that is not only common, but is devastating and disabling in a number of ways. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Diabetes affects 25.8 million people, or 8.3% of the population in the United States.Of these people, 7.0 million people meet the criteria for having the disease, but are undiagnosed. In 2007, Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates and medical costs of Diabetes were 116 billion dollars. As 1.9 million new cases of Diabetes were diagnosed in 2010, Diabetes is a chronic disease.In addition, the CDC estimates that if the Diabetes trend continues, one in three people will have the condition by the year 2050.
Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease
Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease are conditions that patients who struggle to maintain stable blood sugar levels endure. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure in the United States. According to the National Kidney Foundation, about 44% of the people who start treatment for kidney failure each year are Diabetics.The kidneys are responsible for filtering out waste and essentially keeping the body in balance. When blood sugar levels are too high, the kidneys must filter the excess glucose and over time, this process is very taxing on the kidneys.
There are five stages of kidney failure and in stages one through three, the kidneys will leak protein into the urine in incremental quantities. At this point, there are few symptoms, until stage four, when the condition is irreversible. The condition will worsen until the kidneys are no longer able to function.The individual will then require an artificial filtration of his or her blood until a kidney transplant is available.
Chronic Disease Diabetes – Prevention
Preventing the chronic disease Diabetes is simply making lifestyle modifications. A person needs to examine the list of risk factors for Diabetes and determine how he or she can reduce the risks. For example, risk factors include being overweight and obese, having high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high cholesterol, and low LDL cholesterol. Many times, a person can make significant strides just by altering his or her diet. Eating foods in their natural state and removing fried, fatty, and salty foods can make a large impact in lowering blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol, as well as assist in losing excess weight.
Adding thirty minutes of daily cardiovascular exercise can help to lower blood pressure and can assist individuals who are trying to shed additional pounds. Researchers have learned that a 10% reduction in BMI has had tremendous impact in lowering one’s risk for Diabetes. Once individuals have conquered these goals, then he or she can set new goals to reach, such as eliminating alcohol and tobacco, or losing 10% more weight until his or her risk factors for Diabetes are eliminated.
Preventing chronic kidney disease and Diabetes can be done by reducing the amount of protein one consumes as well as the amount of pain relievers taken. The idea is to keep the kidneys from having to work too hard. Keeping blood sugar levels stable will also help keep the kidneys in good condition.
