Controlling Diabetes Can Prevent Kidney Disease

Having diabetes increases your risk of developing CKD. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure. High blood pressure is the second leading cause.

CKD runs in families, so you may have an increased risk if your mother, father, sister, or brother has kidney failure.

Some racial groups are also at increased risk for CKD.

• African Americans are nearly four times as likely to develop kidney failure as white Americans.
• American Indians have nearly three times the risk compared to whites.
• Hispanic Americans have nearly twice the risk of non-Hispanic whites.

If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, or a close family member with kidney failure, you should get checked for kidney disease, especially if you're a member of one of the racial or ethnic groups at higher risk for CKD.

What can I do to slow down or avoid kidney failure?

Learning about reduced kidney function allows you to take steps to keep your kidneys healthy as long as possible. You can control many of the things that can make CKD worse and may lead to kidney failure.

• If you have diabetes, control your blood glucose, also called blood sugar. Studies show that keeping tight control of blood glucose can delay or prevent kidney failure.
• If you have high blood pressure, keep your blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg.
• If you have high blood pressure with CKD, keep your blood pressure below 130/80 mm Hg. Blood pressure medicines called ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors and ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) protect the kidneys better than other medicines. You may need a combination of two or more drugs to keep your blood pressure below 130/80. In many cases, a medicine that lowers blood pressure by increasing urination, called a diuretic, should also be part of the plan.
• If you have CKD, don't eat too much protein. Protein breaks down into the waste products the kidneys must excrete. Reducing those waste products by eating less protein means the kidneys don't have to work so hard. But eating too little protein can lead to poor nutrition. Work with a dietitian to make sure you get the right amounts of protein and other nutrients.