Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
“Doc, I don’t want to drink this because it spoils kidney,” said Prof Sidartawan Soegondo, imitating his patient’s words,
Until now, Sidartawan, who is a specialist in internal medicine-metabolic endocrine consultant, still finds many similar statements from patients. Many patients hesitate to take medication diabetes for fear of kidney damage to the point of having to do dialysis.
Sidartawan said the news of diabetes drugs damaging the kidneys was just a myth.
“Actually what damages the kidneys is if the diabetes is not controlled. High sugar continues and then damage occurs. Now if it’s damaged, you can’t go back again [kondisinya],” said Sidartawan in a media meeting with Nephrisol, Tuesday (16/11).
Sidartawan explained that the consumption of diabetes medication is important to prevent complications due to high blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.
“It is very important to educate. Complications of diabetes can occur in all major blood vessels, brain, heart, feet, legs, then small blood vessels such as eyes, kidneys, everywhere,” said Sidartawan.
Diabetes is a condition of excess sugar levels in the blood. New insulin therapy existed 100 years ago by Frederick Grant Banting, a Canadian scientist. Sidartawan said that the commemoration of World Diabetes Day was only recently celebrated to coincide with Banting’s birthday on November 14.
Following insulin injection therapy, several years later developed oral treatment therapy for diabetic patients. Medications control the patient’s blood sugar levels for life.
On a similar occasion, Tunggul D. Situmorang, a specialist in internal medicine, kidney consultant and hypertension, said data from the Indonesia Renal Registry showed that the main causes of kidney failure were hypertension and uncontrolled diabetes. This is also in line with global data that 2 out of 3 dialysis patients are caused by diabetes and hypertension. There are even patients who carry both types of this disease.
“If it is already complicated by kidney or chronic kidney disease, it will be progressive. What can be done is only to delay or slow down its progression, especially in the early stages, when there are no symptoms,” said Tunggul.
(the / ptj)
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