More than 100 million Americans have diabetes, the leading cause of kidney disease. Learn more about diabetes and your kidneys.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition in which your body has trouble controlling the level of sugar (glucose) in your blood. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the amount of sugar in your blood. With diabetes, your body either does not make enough insulin or cannot use the insulin your body produces effectively.
Risk & diagnosis
A major risk factor for kidney disease
Diabetes injures small blood vessels in the body. When this happens, your kidneys cannot clean your blood properly.
Get tested!
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for prediabetes and referring to diabetes prevention programs, in addition to screening for undiagnosed diabetes.
After kidney transplant
Even if you did not have diabetes before, you may develop diabetes after an organ transplant. This type of diabetes is called “new-onset diabetes” after transplant, or “NODAT” for short.
What is diabetic kidney disease?
Diabetic kidney disease is a decrease in kidney function that occurs in some people who have diabetes.
10 tips for managing diabetes
Your healthcare team will work closely with you to manage your blood sugar. But most of your day-to-day care is up to you. Here are ten important choices you can make to have a positive effect on your diabetes.
Managing blood sugar for kidney health
Good management of blood sugar and other self-care efforts can help slow or stop damage to your kidneys from diabetes.Over time, having high blood sugar can cause damage to your eyes, nerves, heart, blood vessels, and kidneys.
Diabetes and kidney disease in African Americans
African Americans are more likely to develop diabetes than non-Hispanic white adults.
Diabetes and kidney disease in Hispanic Americans
Hispanic Americans are more likely to develop diabetes, which increases the risk of developing kidney disease.
Kidney disease stages 1-4
A high level of sugar in your blood can cause problems in many parts of your body. Over time, this can lead to kidney disease.
Kidney disease stage 5
When kidney failure happens, you need treatment to replace the work of your failed kidneys.
Quality of life
Diabetes requires daily self-management. At times, this can be challenging. But the benefits are very real.
Type 2 Diabetic Kidney Disease
What you should know about the relationship between kidney disease and type 2 diabetes.
