The symptoms of diabetic nephropathy mainly include the following aspects:

The first one is proteinuria, where patients may notice an increase in foam in their urine, and upon examination, proteinuria will test positive.

The second symptom is edema, which may initially appear as intermittent swelling but gradually develops into swelling of both lower extremities or even the entire body. Of course, pleural effusion and ascites may also occur.

The third type of symptom is hypertension; diabetic nephropathy combined with hypertension often involves stubborn high blood pressure, which requires multiple antihypertensive drugs to control.

The fourth point is that in the later stages of diabetes, signs of renal failure gradually appear, such as nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, anemia, renal osteopathy, skin itching, and more.

The fifth is extrarenal manifestations, such as diabetic retinopathy presenting with vision loss or even blindness, and diabetic neuropathy leading to numbness and abnormal sensations in the hands and feet.

Additionally, it is common for patients with diabetic nephropathy to also experience cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications, such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, and more.