What African Americans with 

Diabetes or High Blood Pressure 

Need to Know

Get Checked for Kidney Disease
If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, 

you need to get checked for kidney disease. 

Why should I be checked for 

kidney disease?

Diabetes and high blood pressure are common health 

issues among African Americans. These conditions 

can damage the kidneys over time and may even 

cause kidney failure. Here are some other reasons 

to get checked:

n Early kidney disease has no signs or symptoms. 

The only way to know if you have kidney disease 

is to get checked for it. 

n Kidney disease often does not go away. It may 

get worse over time and can lead to kidney failure. 

You will need to go on dialysis or have a kidney 

transplant if your kidneys fail. 

n Kidney disease can be treated. The sooner you 

know you have kidney disease, the sooner you 

can start treatment to help delay or prevent 

kidney failure. Treating kidney disease also 

may help prevent heart disease.

You also should be checked for kidney disease if 

you have:

n Cardiovascular (heart) disease, or

n A mother, father, sister, or brother with 

kidney failure.
What steps can I take to keep my 

kidneys healthy?

1. Get checked for kidney disease. The sooner you 

know you have kidney disease, the sooner it can 

be treated. 

2. Manage your diabetes and keep your blood 

pressure below 130/80.

 Here’s how: 

n Eat healthy 

	 n Cut back on salt

	 n Be active 

	 n Take medicines 

as prescribed

Tell others about the Kidney Connection.

Help your family or faith community Make the 

Kidney Connection between diabetes, high blood 

pressure, and kidney disease. You don’t have to be 

a health expert to talk to them about kidney health 

and the importance of getting checked. The National 

Kidney Disease Education Program’s easy-to-use 

tools—the Family Reunion Health Guide and 

Kidney Sundays Toolkit—tell you how. 

Visit www.nkdep.nih.gov to view or order them. 
kidneys

You have two kidneys located 

near the middle of your back, 

just under your rib cage. 

Their main job is to filter wastes 

and extra water from the blood 

to make urine. Wastes can 

build up in the body when 

the kidneys are damaged.

How will I be checked for kidney disease?

Two tests are used to check for kidney disease:

n A blood test checks your GFR, which tells how 

well your kidneys are filtering. GFR stands for 

glomerular filtration rate. 

n A urine test checks for albumin. Albumin is a 

protein that can pass into the urine when the 

kidneys are damaged. 

 FACTS: 

	 	 n Diabetes is the #1 cause of kidney failure 

among African Americans. High blood 

pressure is the #2 cause.

	 	n African Americans have a higher rate of 

kidney failure than any other group 

of people.
At your next health care visit, make sure:

n You learn your GFR and the amount of albumin 

in your urine. Both should be checked if you 

have diabetes or high blood pressure.

n Your blood pressure and blood sugar have been 

checked and are in your target range. Your blood 

pressure should be checked at each visit, and 

your blood sugar should be checked yearly if 

you have diabetes. If your levels are too high, 

work with your health care team to get them in 

a range that’s right for you. 
For more information: 

National Kidney Disease Education Program

Toll free at 1-866-4 KIDNEY (1-866-454-3639) 

www.nkdep.nih.gov

National Diabetes Education Program 

Toll free at 1-800-438-5383 

www.ndep.nih.gov 

National High Blood Pressure Education Program 

1-301-592-8573 

www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/nhbpep 

National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information 

Clearinghouse 

Toll free at 1-800-891-5390

www.kidney.niddk.nih.gov

National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse

Toll free at 1-800-860-8747 

www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov

To order this brochure, call 1-866-4 KIDNEY (1-866-454-3639) 

or visit www.nkdep.nih.gov/resources.

Participants in clinical trials can play a more active role in their own health care, gain 

access to new research treatments before they are widely available, and help others by 

contributing to medical research. For more information, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov. 

U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services

National Institutes of Health

The National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) encourages people to get 

tested for kidney disease and educates those with kidney disease and their health care 

providers about treatments that can help delay or prevent kidney failure. NKDEP is 

a program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

NIH Publication No. 10-6209 • Revised May 2010