Abstract:

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) has become one of the most frequent causes of end-stage renal disease. Infections are common complications of DN due to hyperglycemia,damaged immune function,and hypoxia of local tissues,including the lung,urinary tract,and the skin,etc. Infections are usually more severe in patients with DN, which can also aggravate DN. So timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important for the outcomes of DN patients with infecions. In this article, from the perspective of integrative Chinese and western medicine, we elaborated the diagnosis and treatment principles of DN with pulmonary,urinary tract and skin infections. Antimicrobial susceptibility test should be used as a guide, drug treatment adequate enough, and the use of nephrotoxic drugs avoided. Furthermore, the traditional Chinese medicine treatment should be based on the differentiation in accordance with the principle which included eliminating pathogen and strengthening vital qi, and treating both symptoms and root causes, rationally using Chinese herbal prescription, patent medicine, and single herb therapy. Treatment of infections in DN with the integrative traditional Chinese and western medicine can significantly improve the efficacy, and will have broad prospects in clinical applications.

Key words: Diabetic nephropathy, Lung infection, Urinary tract infection, Skin infection