{"id":17518,"date":"2025-09-15T13:25:26","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T17:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/?p=17518"},"modified":"2025-09-15T13:25:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T17:25:26","slug":"diabetes-and-high-blood-pressure-can-lead-to-kidney-failure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/15\/diabetes-and-high-blood-pressure-can-lead-to-kidney-failure\/","title":{"rendered":"Diabetes and High Blood Pressure Can Lead to Kidney Failure"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Anyone who has\u00a0Diabetes<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0High Blood Pressure<\/a>\u00a0should be aware that these conditions can lead to chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>, and even to kidney failure. In fact,\u00a0Diabetes<\/a>\u00a0is the leading cause of kidney failure, and\u00a0High Blood Pressure<\/a>\u00a0is the second leading cause.\u00a0Diabetes<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0High Blood Pressure<\/a>\u00a0account for 70 percent of all cases of kidney failure in African Americans, and African Americans are four times more likely than whites to experience kidney failure.<\/p>\n

The good news is that kidney failure doesn\u2019t happen overnight. Instead, it usually occurs only after\u00a0Kidney Damage<\/a>\u00a0has taken place over years, or even decades. By taking some precautions and monitoring your health, you can greatly reduce your risk of kidney failure.<\/p>\n

Your Kidneys<\/p>\n

Most people don\u2019t stop to think about their kidneys, yet life depends on them. These fist-sized organs are located on either side of the spine at about waist height, and they play a crucial role in maintaining health.<\/p>\n

One vital function of the kidneys is to filter waste products from the blood. Every two minutes, the body\u2019s entire blood supply circulates through the kidneys, where the blood is filtered. Cleansed blood flows back to the heart, and waste products are filtered out into the urine.<\/p>\n

In addition to filtering waste, the kidneys control the amount of fluid in the body, help regulate blood pressure, and aid in production of red blood cells and healthy bones.<\/p>\n

Chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0and Kidney Failure<\/p>\n

Both\u00a0Diabetes<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0High Blood Pressure<\/a>\u00a0can damage the kidneys, which can lead to chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>. Chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0is a condition in which a person\u2019s kidneys are not working as well as they should.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the damage from chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0can lead to kidney failure. When a person has kidney failure, it means their kidneys are not working well enough to keep the person alive, and the only options are dialysis treatment or a kidney transplant.<\/p>\n

More than 7.4 million adults in the United States over age 20 have chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>. That\u2019s 4.5 percent of the population. There are currently 400,000 Americans who have progressed to kidney failure and are being kept alive through dialysis or kidney transplants.<\/p>\n

More than 75,000 people die from kidney failure each year.\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0is America\u2019s ninth leading cause of death. With early diagnosis and treatment, chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0can be slowed and kidney failure may be avoided. Without treatment, chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0can become kidney failure with little or no warning.<\/p>\n

Symptoms and Screenings<\/p>\n

Early chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0usually has no symptoms. Chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0sometimes develops so slowly that many patients don\u2019t realize they are sick until the disease is advanced and they are rushed to the hospital for life-saving dialysis. The only way to find out if you have chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0is to have some simple medical tests.<\/p>\n

Sometimes there are warning signs of chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>, especially when you are approaching kidney failure. The warning signs include:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Swelling of parts of the body like the ankles, feet or face \u2022 Burning or unusual sensation during urination \u2022 Foamy, bloody or coffee-colored urine \u2022 Urinating more often, especially at night \u2022 Easy\u00a0Bruising<\/a>\u00a0or bleeding \u2022\u00a0Listless<\/a>\u00a0or tired feeling<\/p>\n

You should be tested for chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0if you have experienced any of the above symptoms, or if you are\u00a0Diabetic<\/a>, have\u00a0High Blood Pressure<\/a>, or have a family member who has experienced\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>. Remember, you can feel perfectly fine and still have chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The simple tests for chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0include a urine test for protein and a blood test for creatinine. Your doctor will use these tests to figure out a number called your GFR (glomerular filtration rate). The GFR number measures how well your kidneys work. Your doctor should be able to explain exactly what your GFR number means.<\/p>\n

Treatment<\/p>\n

The treatment goal for a person with chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0is to slow down or stop the damage to the kidneys. It is very important for a person with chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0to control their blood pressure, control their blood sugar if they are\u00a0Diabetic<\/a>, avoid certain medicines, and follow a special diet that a doctor or dietitian can explain.<\/p>\n

Prevention<\/p>\n

You can lower your risk of chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0and kidney failure by living a healthy lifestyle: eat low-fat, low-salt foods,\u00a0Exercise<\/a>\u00a0regularly, limit alcohol intake and don\u2019t smoke.<\/p>\n

Another aspect of prevention is to get regular medical check-ups, which include screening for\u00a0Diabetes<\/a>,\u00a0High Blood Pressure<\/a>\u00a0and chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 even if you feel fine!<\/p>\n

If you have\u00a0High Blood Pressure<\/a>, take your medicine faithfully and see your doctor often.<\/p>\n

If you have\u00a0Diabetes<\/a>, follow your diet, take your medication and test your blood sugar regularly.<\/p>\n

Support<\/p>\n

The American Kidney Fund provides direct financial assistance to kidney patients in need and\u00a0Education<\/a>\u00a0for those with and at risk for\u00a0Kidney Disease<\/a>.. For more information, visit\u00a0www.kidneyfund.org<\/a>, call our nationwide toll-free \u201cHelp Line\u201d at 800-638-8299 or e-mail helpline@kidneyfund.org.<\/p>\n

About the author<\/p>\n

Tamara Ruggiero is Director of Communications for the American Kidney Fund.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anyone who has\u00a0Diabetes\u00a0or\u00a0High Blood Pressure\u00a0should be aware that these conditions can lead to chronic\u00a0Kidney Disease, and even to kidney failure. In fact,\u00a0Diabetes\u00a0is the leading cause of kidney failure, and\u00a0High Blood Pressure\u00a0is the second leading cause.\u00a0Diabetes\u00a0and\u00a0High Blood Pressure\u00a0account for 70 percent of all cases of kidney failure in African Americans, and African Americans are four times […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-heart-circulatory-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17518\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}