👉Each kidney is made up of millions of tiny filters called nephrons. Over time, high blood sugar from diabetes can damage blood vessels in the kidneys as well as nephrons so they don’t work as well as they should. Many people with diabetes also develop high blood pressure, which can damage kidneys too.
CKD takes a long time to develop and usually doesn’t have any signs or symptoms in the early stages. You won’t know you have CKD unless your doctor checks you for it.
🤔Tips To Keep Your Kidneys Healthy
👉You can help keep your kidneys healthy by managing your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. This is also very important for your heart and blood vessels—high blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels are all risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
Physical activity can help
prevent kidney disease.
📌Keep your blood sugar levels in your target range as much as possible.
📌Get an A1C test at least twice a year, more often if your medicine changes or if you have other health conditions. Talk to your doctor about how often is right for you.
📌Check
your blood pressure regularly and keep it below 140/90 mm/Hg (or the target your doctor sets). Talk to your doctor about medicines and other ways to lower your blood pressure.
📌Stay in your target cholesterol range.
Eat foods lower in sodium.
Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Be physically active.
Take your medicines as directed.
🤔Kidney-Friendly Tips
Once again I repeat
Keep your blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg (or the target your doctor establishes for you).
If you have diabetes, stay in your target blood sugar range as much as possible.
Get active—physical activity helps manage blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Lose weight if you’re overweight.
Get tested for CKD regularly if you’re at risk.
If you have CKD, meet with a dietitian to create a kidney-healthy eating plan. The plan may need to change as you get older or if your health status changes.
Take medications as instructed, and ask your doctor about blood pressure medicines called ACE inhibitors and ARBs, which may protect your kidneys in addition to lowering blood pressure.
If you smoke, quit. Smoking can worsen kidney disease and interfere with medication that lowers blood pressure.
If you have diabetes, include a kidney doctor (nephrologist) on your health care team.
🤔Prediabetes and Kidney Disease
👉If you have prediabetes, taking action to prevent type 2 diabetes is an important step in preventing kidney disease. Studies have shown that overweight people at higher risk for type 2 diabetes can prevent or delay developing it by losing 5% to 7% of their body weight, or 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person. You can do that by eating healthier and getting 150 minutes of physical activity each week.
🤔CKD and Women
👉Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is more common in women than men, but fewer women are on kidney dialysis. Why?
One reason is that CKD progresses more slowly in women so they don’t need dialysis as soon as men. But awareness may play an even bigger role. Women are less likely to know they have moderate to severe CKD than men, so they often start dialysis later or receive no dialysis at all.
🏥If you think a friend or family member might be at risk for CKD, encourage her to put a kidney checkup on her calendar. Treatment can improve her kidney health!