Each of your kidneys has about one million nephrons. Nephrons are small structures that filter waste from your blood. Diabetes can cause the nephrons to thicken and scar, which makes them less able to filter waste and remove fluid from the body. This causes them to leak a type of protein called albumin into your urine, leading to diabetic nephropathy.
The exact reason this occurs in people with diabetes is unknown, but high blood sugar levels and high blood pressure are thought to contribute to diabetic nephropathy. Persistently high blood sugar or blood pressure levels are two things that can damage your kidneys, making them unable to filter waste and remove water from your body.
Other factors have been shown to increase your risk of getting diabetic nephropathy, such as:
· being African-American, Hispanic, or American Indian
· developing type 1 diabetes before you are 20 years old
· smoking
Certain things make you more likely to get diabetic nephropathy. If you also havehigh blood pressure or high cholesterol, or if you smoke, your risk is higher. Also, Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics (especially Mexican Americans) have a higher risk.
