MadSci Network: Medicine |
Good question. Simply put, the increased blood sugar level results in an increased level of sugar in the urine. This also causes significant osmotic effects pulling more free water into urine. This is just one issue and perhaps the least threatening of what will follow unless the disease is aggressively treated. Diabetes itself does damage to the kidney and its ability to function correctly. Diabetes has significant effects on small arterioles and nerves. Thus in a mechanistic manner it damages the ability of the organ to function correctly. Uncontrolled diabetes, particularly the the Insulin resistant form will cause a myriad of changes in multiple systems. Some individuals estimate that as many as 30 to 40 different sytems and inter- systems are being adversely affected. Much of this is due to a steady rise in the resting level of insulin which occurs as a result of storage cells becoming increasingly resistant to insulin and its job of moving sugar into cells. I had a dear friend who suffered for a long time from Type II Diabetes or the Insulin Resistant form. He ended up with little renal function, blindness, strokes and finally hepato-renal failure which is usually the end result in many of these cases. So, concentrating ability is affected, damage is done to vessels and nerves serving the renal tissue, the ability to retain important material such as protein becomes damaged and ultimately the kidneys fail to function. Keep on studying about Diabetes - it is a very diverse and fascinating disesae.
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