Diabetic Kidney Problems

Summary

If you have diabetes, your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Over time, this can damage your kidneys. Your kidneys clean your blood. If they are damaged, waste and fluids build up in your blood instead of leaving your body.

Kidney damage from diabetes is called diabetic nephropathy. It begins long before you have symptoms. People with diabetes should get regular screenings for kidney disease. Tests include a urine test to detect protein in your urine and a blood test to show how well your kidneys are working.

If the damage continues, your kidneys could fail. In fact, diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure in the United States. People with kidney failure need either dialysis or a kidney transplant.

You can slow down kidney damage or keep it from getting worse. Controlling your blood sugar and blood pressure, taking your medicines and not eating too much protein can help.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Specifics

• Albuminuria National Kidney Foundation
• Glomerular Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Nephrotic Syndrome in Adults National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Find an Expert

• American Diabetes Association American Diabetes Association
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• National Kidney Foundation National Kidney Foundation
• NIDDK Information Clearinghouses and Health Information Center National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Diabetic Nephropathies National Institutes of Health

Diagnosis and Tests

• Creatinine Test National Library of Medicine
• Kidney Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic National Library of Medicine

Patient Handouts

• Diabetes and kidney disease Medical Encyclopedia
• Microalbuminuria test Medical Encyclopedia
• Urine protein dipstick test Medical Encyclopedia

Start Here

• Diabetes and Kidney Disease National Kidney Foundation

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Diabetic Kidney Disease National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Living With

• Emergency Meal Planning for Diabetics National Kidney Foundation

Treatments and Therapies

• Kidney Disease (Nephropathy) American Diabetes Association
• Kidney-Pancreas Transplant National Kidney Foundation

Statistics and Research

• Native Americans with Diabetes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Journal Articles

• Diabetic Kidney Problems

Encyclopedia

• Urine protein electrophoresis test Medical Encyclopedia

Reference Desk

• Your Kidneys and How They Work National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases