JAKARTA, Investor.id – The assumption that diabetes drugs are the cause of kidney damage is wrong. The fact is that it is precisely uncontrolled blood sugar levels that are the culprits of kidney damage that lead to dialysis.
“There is a myth that using drugs will damage the kidneys. So, many people ask me, ‘Doc, I don’t want to take this medicine because I’m afraid that my kidneys will be damaged, I’m afraid of dialysis’. Whereas what damages the kidneys is because the blood sugar levels are not controlled, causing complications to the kidneys. Indeed there are certain drugs that should not be given if the kidney and heart function is not good. Therefore, it is necessary to first check the condition of the kidneys, so that the right medication is given,” said Prof. Dr. Sidartawan Soegondo MD, PhD in the education ‘Prevent Early Kidney Complications in Diabetes’ held by Kalbe in the context of World Diabetes Day, this week.
Agree with Prof Sidartawan, dr. Tunggul Situmorang, SpPD-KGH also emphasized that the cause of kidney damage in diabetics is not diabetes or hypertension drugs. “Diabetes drugs are not insulin and kidney destroyers. The main causes of kidney failure or dialysis are hypertension and uncontrolled blood sugar and often come together. Kidney failure can be prevented early on by controlling and controlling blood sugar according to the target, limiting the protein consumed every day, and taking appropriate treatment according to symptoms,” said dr. Tunggul Situmorang, SpPD-KGH.
Dr. Tunggul said data from the Indonesian Renal Registry revealed that the main causes of kidney failure to dialysis were hypertension and uncontrolled sugar levels. So hypertension and uncontrolled sugar levels/diabetes are friends. It is true that diabetes is the culprit, but there are so many victims.
“As many as 2 out of 3 patients on dialysis, the cause is diabetes and hypertension which often come together. So, being able to prevent and control blood sugar and hypertension properly will prevent complications from other diseases, including kidney failure so that dialysis does not occur, “said Dr. Tunggul
.Progressive
Dr. Tunggul warned, it is very important to prevent kidney failure. “Kidney disease is progressive, getting worse and worse. Including kidney disease due to complications of diabetes. If it is complicated to the kidneys, then it will be progressive. What we can do is slow down its progress,” said Dr. Tunggul.
The best thing, said Dr. Tunggul, is to prevent it when there are no symptoms. With the naked eye, it is very easy to know whether the kidneys have been complicated or not, by examining the urine. “So, you can see whether the kidneys are affected or not by seeing whether the urine has foam or not? If it’s foamy, it means that there is kidney coagulation so that protein gets into the urine. If it’s foamy, it’s irreversible, it’s progressive, it can’t be repaired. What can be done is to slow down the damage from getting worse,” said Dr. Tunggul.
But before there is foam or leakage of the kidneys, said Tunggul, you should do a microalbuminuria examination. “This examination is to see if protein from the kidneys has leaked into the urine. “So, controlling blood sugar levels below 126 mg/dl and controlling blood pressure, will prevent complications to the kidneys,” said Dr. Tunggul.
When complications occur, Dr. Tunggul emphasized, inevitably it is necessary to ease the work of the kidneys by limiting protein consumption. “To support diabetic patients, Kalbe provides nephrisol nutritional solutions to meet daily nutritional needs without aggravating kidney damage,” said Mindo Fuji Gloria, Kalbe’s product manager.
Editor : Mardiana Makmun ([email protected])
