Diabetes can distress kidneys

According to a multi cultural study, the first time that several patients realise that diabetes can affect their kidneys is when they are referred to renal services. UK researchers who strut to 48 patients with diabetes attending expert renal services in Leicester, Luton and Ealing, discovered that awareness of the kidney risks posed by the disease was very low. "The people we spoke to knowledgeable feelings of surprise, fear and regret when they originate out their kidney had been affected" says Professor Gurch Randhawa, Director of the Institute for Health Research at the University of Bedfordshire and an expert in assortment in public health.

"Some patients saw their kidney referral as a ''wake-up call'' that they needed to control their diabetes more seriously, while others were worried about their lack of knowledge about the disease. What was clear was that several of the patients we spoke to were much additional aware of how diabetes could affect their eyes and feet than their kidneys. "We believe this study highlights a serious require for more information about the risks that diabetics face from kidney disease." Professor Randhawa teamed up with research fellow Emma Wilkinson to explore any variation in the experiences, knowledge and attitudes of white patients and South Asian patients.

"Previous UK studies have identified that South Asian patients have a better risk of developing diabetes-related end stage kidney failure" says Professor Randhawa. "Despite this, there is growing proof that they tend to be referred later for renal care and are more probable to be lost to follow-up." The 23 South Asian patients and 25 white patients who took part in the study were aged between 34 and 79 - with an normal age of just over 70. All had type 2 diabetes and had been conventional for clinical review at a specialist renal department. They had been analyze with diabetes for between six months and 40 years, with an average time since diagnosis of just below 15 years. Male patients accounted for 61 per cent of the South Asian grouping and 64 per cent of the white group.