Coping with Urinary and Sexual Complications of Diabetes
How does Diabetes affect your kidneys, bladder, and the prostate in men?
The Kidney:
As you know kidney damage by diabetes is a major concern – that’s one of the major reasons why cardiologist and primary care physicians are paranoid about sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol.
What can Urologists do?
About 10% of people get a kidney stone over their lifetime. Diabetic patients are at increased risk for kidney stones. Diabetics are also at increased risk of complications once they form a stone.
Once you formed a stone, there is a 50% chance you’ll get another one. It’s important to make sure that we check for and address all risk factors for stone formation if you had a kidney stone. Stones tend to worsen kidney function over time. They can also predispose to infections, as can diabetes. In general drinking a lot is helpful; weight loss is helpful as well. Once we do appropriate studies we often recommend dietary changes as well.
Diabetes can also affect NERVES to the BLADDER in both men and women. This can cause difficulty with emptying bladder, infections and sometimes bladder stones. Some people need to use a catheter; for some people one of the newer treatments called Neurostimulation can reset the battery to their bladder.
Diabetics are more likely to get bladder infections. The reasons in men and women are different and so are the treatments. Good control of blood sugar levels can decrease the chances of getting infections.
To learn more about treatment and prevention of kidney stones and other urological problems associated with diabetes, make an appointment with an experienced fellowship-trained urologist who has expertise in treating diabetic patients with urological problems. Dr. Shteynshlyuger sees patients in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
