Advice on Kidney Disese and ACE inhibitors

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Millie B

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent
Advice on Kidney Disease and ACE inhibitors

I have a son aged 23 who has had Type 1 for 7 years. He has always managed his diabetes well and rarely has hypos, but this year we have had a couple of setbacks as he has been told he has maculopathy and just yesterday he has been told he will need to start taking ACE inhibitors as he has protein in his urine. This has really devastated my husband who is imagining all sorts of terrible things like dialysis and kidney failure, but I am trying to be more positive and hope that the tablets will stop the problem from getting any worse. Our son appears to be taking it in his stride, but it is difficult to tell as he is the strong, silent type. I would really like to hear from anyone who has experienced this. What has really shocked me is how these problems have started when our son is so young - I cannot bear to think he will suffer with deteriorating health - and he has always tried to keep his blood sugars at the correct levels. (Obviously he has had some fluctuations when trying different insulin regimes, but generally his annual review results have been good). Please can anyone offer any reassurance or advice? Thank you.
 
Last edited:
Hi Millie B, welcome to the forum🙂 Sorry to hear that your son has had to start taking the tablets. From my understanding (and I'm not a doctor, just an interested party!) the medication is introduced at the first early signs of protein i.e. before any lasting damage has been done, and are very effective in preventing any future problems, so it is not necessarily true that he will progress to more serious kidney problems.

What is his blood pressure like? I believe this is a very important factor where retinopathy/maculopathy and kidney function are concerned, as it affects the microvascular system (small blood vessels) most. The medication should help to keep his BP at normal levels, and thus help his kidneys and eyes.

I hope this helps a little. Hopefully, someone better informed than me can correct anything I have said, and give you more details 🙂
 
Thanks

Northerner said:
Hi Millie B, welcome to the forum🙂 Sorry to hear that your son has had to start taking the tablets. From my understanding (and I'm not a doctor, just an interested party!) the medication is introduced at the first early signs of protein i.e. before any lasting damage has been done, and are very effective in preventing any future problems, so it is not necessarily true that he will progress to more serious kidney problems.

What is his blood pressure like? I believe this is a very important factor where retinopathy/maculopathy and kidney function are concerned, as it affects the microvascular system (small blood vessels) most. The medication should help to keep his BP at normal levels, and thus help his kidneys and eyes.

I hope this helps a little. Hopefully, someone better informed than me can correct anything I have said, and give you more details 🙂
Click to expand...

🙂thanks for the welcome and your reply. I am new to all this so you will have to forgive me if I get the technical bits wrong.:confused: His BP was a little high 149/89 at his last review, but he always gets 'white coat' syndrome which sends it higher than normal on these occasions. It is usually at the high end of normal, so I guess the tablets will help to keep it low. I am just so worried about his long term future and hope someone out there can tell me if other young people have these problems and do okay. Most of the websites I have looked at suggest it is usually older folk who get kidney problems. Thanks, Northerner for your reassuring words.
 
Millie B said:
🙂thanks for the welcome and your reply. I am new to all this so you will have to forgive me if I get the technical bits wrong.:confused: His BP was a little high 149/89 at his last review, but he always gets 'white coat' syndrome which sends it higher than normal on these occasions. It is usually at the high end of normal, so I guess the tablets will help to keep it low. I am just so worried about his long term future and hope someone out there can tell me if other young people have these problems and do okay. Most of the websites I have looked at suggest it is usually older folk who get kidney problems. Thanks, Northerner for your reassuring words.
Click to expand...

It's perfectly understandable to be concerned Millie. Your son's BP is very similar to mine. I also get the white coat syndrome - it may be an idea to ask the doctor if your son can wear a 24 hour blood pressure monitor so that a truer reading can be obtained. Ideally, for an adult, the BP should be 130/80 or below. I am also on BP medication, although I don't have signs of protein, and because it is at the level your son's is at my doctor has been increasing the dose of my medication - so far to no avail! She has suggested that I lose some weight and that this can make a difference (although I am not overweight, I am heavier than I would normally hope to be - at the top end of my BMI (Body Mass Index).

I have noted that many people who have grown from teens to young adults, as your son has done, have experienced greater difficulties in blood sugar control than those who are older, so it may be that things will improve in the years to come. Your suggestion that it is normally older people who develop kidney problems is probably true - this is because it is more likely that older people have type 2 diabetes which may have gone undiagnosed for some time at which time damage may already have been done. They may also have other factors related to age which have contributed to their problems.

As a young man who is being regularly tested and treated it is much less likely that your son will develop these problems. There may be new treatments in the future that will help him even more - these are improving all the time, and stories about past cases must also be considered in view of the treatments available in the past which wouldn't have been as good as today.

We can't know what the future holds, but our chances of a full, healthy and happy life are being improved all the time, so try to stay positive - respect diabetes and make sure he looks after himself and he will be giving himself the best possible chances in years to come. Often, diabetics escape many of the health problems that afflict their contemporaries these days because they are monitored better, and have healthier diets and lifestyles! 🙂
 
Hi Millie, welcome to the forum.
 
Millie B said:
I have a son aged 23 who has had Type 1 for 7 years. He has always managed his diabetes well and rarely has hypos, but this year we have had a couple of setbacks as he has been told he has maculopathy and just yesterday he has been told he will need to start taking ACE inhibitors as he has protein in his urine. This has really devastated my husband who is imagining all sorts of terrible things like dialysis and kidney failure, but I am trying to be more positive and hope that the tablets will stop the problem from getting any worse. Our son appears to be taking it in his stride, but it is difficult to tell as he is the strong, silent type. I would really like to hear from anyone who has experienced this. What has really shocked me is how these problems have started when our son is so young - I cannot bear to think he will suffer with deteriorating health - and he has always tried to keep his blood sugars at the correct levels. (Obviously he has had some fluctuations when trying different insulin regimes, but generally his annual review results have been good). Please can anyone offer any reassurance or advice? Thank you.
Click to expand...
HELLO Millie welcome to the forum. I have had type 1 for 21 years. Last year my routine urine test came back with protein in my urine so my doc said not to worry about it and he put me on Ramipril tablets, my last test showed up as normal. So the tablets worked and I am still taking them. Try not to worry to much, he sounds like a very sensible lad. best wishes Sheena
 
hi millie i cant help you with your question but just wanted to welcome you to the forum x🙂
 
Thank you all

Thank you all so much for your welcomes and sound advice. I am really pleased that I found this website as I know it will be a source of comfort and reassurance and I hope I may be able to help some of you along the way, although my knowledge is fairly limited🙂
 
This Diabetes UK page is a fair introduction to the topic of ACE inhibitors - http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Guide-to-Diabetes-extra-pages/ACE_inhibitors/ They are used to prevent progression of kidney disease in people with diabetes, in addition to or irrespective of their effects on raised blood pressure. One of the aims of annual reviews is to spot potential problems as early as possible before they get too serious and whne treatment is easier and more effective. Sounds like he'll be OK - taking it in his stride is just the way to deal with the situation.
 
Hi,
Just to let you know I have been on 2.5g Ramipril for a long time and it was the best thing I ever did! At first I resisted but having borderline signs of microalbuminiria for about a year, following my second pregnancy, I went on it. It seemed like a big thing a the time but was nothing in reality - I take it now (and have done for years - don't know how many!) nine times out of ten and my levels are well within a normal range (so it actually reversed my albeit minor symptoms !) and my blood pressure is also spot on/low (after 24 years of IDD). I now view ACE inhibitors as a bit of a 'miracle' drug and, as a type 1 of 24 years, would have to have my mortgage paid off and a new porche and a marriage proposal from Brad Pitt to stop taking it - I am ever thankful to the NHS and always consider myself lucky under the circs. BTW FYI no other complications, despite my easy lifestyle with plenty of good times and too much alcohol .....do not worry too much (I did, big waste of time!) and tell him to enjoy life but keep taking the tablets x
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top