In a new study from the National University of Ireland, researchers found that 42% of patients attending a dedicated diabetes clinic have signs of established chronic kidney disease.
It involved more than 4,500 patients in the west of Ireland.
The findings suggest that, despite careful medical management, a relatively high proportion of people with diabetes in Ireland are developing chronic kidney disease over time and are at risk of kidney failure and other complications of poor kidney function.
Diabetes is now the number one cause of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure worldwide.
At least one in 15 people in Ireland has diabetes, three-quarters of whom are adults with type 2 diabetes.
When evidence of chronic kidney disease due to diabetes appears, it usually indicates damage to the kidneys that cannot be reversed and may well worsen over time.
The team found that 42% of patients at the clinic had evidence of abnormal kidney function, based on the results of commonly performed blood and urine tests.
The rate of chronic kidney disease among diabetes patients is more frequent than previously recognized.
The frequency of chronic kidney disease was higher—almost 50% – in those with type 2 diabetes.
The kidney function of more than one-quarter of all the patients and nearly one-third of those with type 2 diabetes was declining at a faster rate than expected.
The research team said the findings of the prevalence and rate of chronic kidney disease were particularly concerning because the number of people affected by type 2 diabetes is increasing steadily around the world.
In the next 20 years, it is expected to reach close to 700 million people.
The study provides important information for people with diabetes because new treatments and interventions are emerging which may offer better protection of kidney function over time when introduced in the early stages of chronic kidney disease.
Worryingly, many people with diabetes are unaware of the earliest evidence of diabetic kidney disease that can be identified in their blood and urine tests.
This research shines a light on the need for greater awareness of these tests during the early stages of diabetes management and more collaborative care by diabetes and kidney specialists.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about these common drugs linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes and findings of a promising treatment to protect kidney function in diabetes.
For more information about diabetes and your health, please see recent studies about this once-a-week insulin shot could help treat type 2 diabetes and results showing that intensive blood sugar and blood pressure control can prevent this problem in diabetes.
The study is published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care. One author of the study is Professor Matthew Griffin.
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