About 6 percent of the patients that the GP sees each year suffer from type 2 diabetes. As many as a third of them appear to have an increased risk of renal dysfunction, or diabetic nephropathy. Damage to the kidneys increases the risk of other conditions and even death. It is therefore very important to limit kidney damage. Because most patients with diabetes are treated in general practice, the general practice is a good setting for research into patients with diabetic nephropathy in the Netherlands. To this end, Nivel charts the prevalence and incidence of nephropathy in general practice.
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Patients with diabetes mellitus have an increased risk of complications, such as cardiovascular disease, retinopathy and thus also renal dysfunction, also called diabetic nephropathy.
Prevalence, incidence and treatment in general practice
Most patients with diabetes are treated in general practice. In order to limit or prevent kidney damage, patients’ blood sugar and blood pressure are well monitored and treated if necessary. The kidney function is also regularly checked. The number of other chronic conditions, prescription drugs and referrals to secondary care increases with deterioration of kidney function. In order to gain more insight into the extent of these factors in general practice, Nivel has described them per risk category for chronic kidney damage.
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