Diabetes Depression

As if life with diabetes wasn’t depressing enough. My last blood work didn’t come out very good. All the kidney indicators were high, not terribly high, but this was the second time my tests weren’t good. So, my doctor took me off lisinopril and I have to do labs and see her again in three weeks.

I always do research to try and be more informed about what is going on with myself. Of course the things I find out aren’t very inspiring. You know, the same old things like…..

*Diabetes can overwork the kidneys, causing them to stop working properly. High blood sugar levels make the kidneys filter too much blood, and after many years, this extra stress can lead to kidney disease.

*Studies have shown that kidney disease, also called diabetic nephropathy, is a potential long-term consequence of diabetes. It presents in approximately 20 to 40 percent of patients with diabetes. There may be several causes, but one of the main issues that can aggravate kidney function is hyperglycemia, especially long-standing hyperglycemia.

*Diabetes is a leading cause of kidney failure. The reason? Diabetic kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy) is a common, long-term complication that results from the vascular abnormalities that high blood sugar causes. What’s more, diabetes is often the main cause of the most advanced stage of kidney disease (known as end stage renal disease, or ESRD).
Read more at http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/general/360-the-correlation-between-diabetes-and-kidney-disease#IxvF0IcqPu1AgTMK.99

Also, being of Hispanic descent increases my chances of kidney disease.

*U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Race, Ethnicity, and Kidney Disease

African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians are at high risk for developing kidney failure. This risk is due in part to high rates of diabetes and high blood pressure in these communities. Below is more information about kidney failure for each of these groups.

African Americans
African Americans are almost four times as likely as Whites to develop kidney failure.

While African Americans make up about 13 percent of the population, they account for 32 percent of the people with kidney failure in the United States. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the leading causes of kidney failure among African Americans.

Learn more about the impact of kidney disease on African Americans and steps to keep the kidneys healthy in What African Americans with Diabetes or High Blood Pressure Need to Know: Get Checked for Kidney Disease.

Hispanics
A growing number of Hispanics are diagnosed with kidney disease each year. Since 2000, the number of Hispanics with kidney failure has increased by more than 70 percent.

Compared to non-Hispanics, Hispanics are almost 1.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with kidney failure.

My last gripe about diabetes today is about how poor or uninsured people are more likely to die from kidney disease than insured people.

*In the United States, public health insurance is available for nearly all persons with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

Uninsured persons with non-dialysis dependent CKD are at higher risk for progression to ESRD than their insured counterparts but are less likely to receive recommended interventions to slow disease progression. Lack of public health insurance for patients with non-dialysis dependent CKD may result in missed opportunities to slow disease progression and thereby reduce the public burden of ESRD.

THANKS TO THE UNITED STATES FOR TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE GOING TO DIE. LETS JUST FORGET ABOUT  ANY PREVENTATIVE CARE AND HELPING PEOPLE STAY ALIVE!