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Lowering your risk of kidney disease (nephropathy)
Kidneys help keep your blood clean and your blood pressure down. They remove waste from your blood while keeping protein from escaping. But diabetes can damage this process.
Kidney disease, also called nephropathy, is a common complication of diabetes. So talk with your health care team about what you can do to keep your risk as low as possible. You'll probably be encouraged to take these steps:
- Get tested for microalbuminuria. Protein found in urine is the first sign of diabetes-related kidney damage. Finding out early enables you and your health care team to prevent more damage.
- Control your diabetes. Tight control is one of the best ways to ward off kidney disease. If you already have kidney damage, controlling your blood glucose can help keep it from getting worse.
- Have frequent blood pressure checks. High blood pressure (hypertension) can speed up kidney disease. Doctors often prescribe ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors for hypertension. Even if blood pressure isn't high, some doctors prescribe ACE inhibitors to slow the progression of kidney disease.
- Watch the painkillers. Too much aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen can damage the kidneys. Talk to your doctor about whether it's safe for you to take these medicines. If it is, find out what amount is safe.
- Avoid high protein diets. Eating too much protein makes your kidneys work harder. Talk with a nutritionist to find out how much meat and other proteins are safe for you.
- If you smoke, stop. Smoking increases your risk of developing proteinuria. Having too much protein in your urine is associated with kidney disease and heart disease.
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Source: American Diabetes Association; Health Online, Inc.; National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
First published: 01/09/2000
Last updated: 10/29/2007
Reviewed by: Mary Frederick, RN, diabetes program manager, Allina Medical Clinic
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