Experts discussed the problems of patients with nephrodiabetes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) remains one of the most common diseases in the world, and the number of patients in Russia continues to grow. The main danger is complications: up to 40% of patients experience kidney damage.

However, many people do not know that diabetes is the main cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD), a latent progressive condition that may not manifest for a long time, but leads to disability and the need for dialysis or transplantation.

On the eve of World Nephrologist's Day (March 27), the NGO Nephro-League conducted a survey among patients with a combination of T2DM and CKD in order to understand how patients control their kidney condition, what difficulties they face during treatment, as well as to assess their level of awareness and access to medical care.

Patient survey: main findings

• Lack of information about kidney risks

77% of patients reported that the doctor did not talk about the need to regularly check their kidney health. 58% of respondents get knowledge about kidney protection from the Internet, and only 5% reported that they receive detailed explanations from a doctor.

• Gaps in regular surveys

53% of patients either do not undergo albuminuria testing regularly or are unaware of it. Reasons: 52% are not aware of the need, 28% have no symptoms, 20% — the doctor did not consider the check a priority. This prevents early detection of the disease.

• Finance and drug provision

69% reported problems with obtaining medicines: they are forced to purchase additional medicines or pay for treatment on their own.

Patients also face strict dietary restrictions (61.2%), constant fatigue (58.8%), and complex medication regimens (51.8%).

"For diabetic patients, kidney health monitoring should be the same standard as glycemic and blood pressure monitoring. An albuminuria test is a simple test that will identify kidney damage at an early stage and start treatment with modern drugs on time, reducing the risk of kidney damage progression and the need for dialysis. Effective management of patients with nephrodiabetes is possible with proper diagnosis and affordable therapy," said Evgeny Shilov, Chief Freelance nephrologist at the Russian Ministry of Health.