Diabetes & High 


Blood Pressure


Make the Kidney Connection 

What African Americans 

Need to Know 
Have you talked to a doctor 

or nurse about your kidneys? 

If you have diabetes or high blood 

pressure, ask about your kidneys 

at your next doctor’s appointment. 

Both of these conditions can 

damage your kidneys and lead to 

kidney disease. 

Kidney disease from diabetes or 

high blood pressure does not go 

away. Instead, it gets worse over 

time. If not treated, kidney disease 

can lead to kidney failure, where 

your only options are dialysis or a 

kidney transplant. 

Early kidney disease does not make 

you feel sick. The only way to 

know if you have kidney disease is 

to get tested. The sooner you catch 

kidney disease, the sooner you can 

take steps to keep your kidneys 

healthier longer. 

Take the first step and talk to your 

doctor or nurse about your kidneys. 

Ask if you should be tested for 

kidney disease. 

kidneys 

You have two kidneys located near the 

center of your back. Their job is to filter 

your blood. Small blood vessels in your 

kidneys remove waste and extra water 

and produce urine. Diabetes and high 

blood pressure damage these blood 

vessels and can cause kidney disease. 
Risk factors for kidney disease 

Diabetes (sometimes called “sugar”) 

and high blood pressure are the 

leading causes of kidney disease. 

High blood pressure and diabetes 

can damage your kidneys over 

time, without you knowing it. 

People with diabetes and high 

blood pressure need to get tested 

regularly for kidney disease. 

You are also at risk for kidney 

disease if: 

n you have heart (cardiovascular) 

disease; 

n your mother, father, sister, or 

brother has kidney disease; or 

n your doctor has said you have 

protein in your urine (protein 

can leak into the urine when the 

kidneys are not working well). 

African Americans are at high risk 

for kidney failure. In large part, this 

is due to higher rates of diabetes and 

high blood pressure in the African 

American community, although 

there may be other reasons. 

If you have any of these risk factors, 

talk to your doctor about getting 

tested for kidney disease. 

Take steps If your kidneys Get tested to slow fail, you will to see if down kidney need to go you have disease on dialysis or kidney and avoid have a kidney disease kidney failure transplant

e vyou haf I

Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and a family history of kidney disease can all lead 

to kidney disease. Taking steps to control your diabetes and high blood pressure can keep your 

kidneys healthier longer and possibly prevent kidney failure. 
Blood and urine tests are 

used to find kidney disease. 

Tests for kidney disease: 

n A blood test helps your doctor 

measure your GFR,* which tells 

you how well your kidneys are 

working. 

n A urine test measures the 

amount of protein in your urine, 

which checks for kidney damage. 

*GFR stands for “glomerular 

filtration rate.” 

Take these steps to protect 

your kidneys: 

1. Keep your kidneys healthy by 

managing your diabetes and high 

blood pressure. You can do this by: 

n eating healthy, 

n staying active, and 

n taking medicines as prescribed. 

2. Ask your doctor or nurse to 

test your blood and urine for 

kidney disease. 

3. If you have kidney disease, talk 

to your doctor or nurse about 

treatment options. Medicines 

called ACE inhibitors and ARBs 

can help keep your kidneys 

healthier longer. 

Make sure your doctor tells you: 

n your GFR, 

n how much protein is in your 

urine, and 

n your blood pressure. 
For more information 

About kidney disease: 

Call the National Kidney Disease 

Education Program (NKDEP) 

toll free at 1-866-4 KIDNEY 

(1-866-454-3639), or go online 

at www.nkdep.nih.gov. 

More kidney information also is 

available at www.kidney.niddk.nih.gov. 

About diabetes: 

Contact the National Diabetes 

Education Program (NDEP) 

at 1-800-438-5383, or visit 

www.ndep.nih.gov. 

About high blood pressure: 

Contact the National High Blood 

Pressure Education Program 

(NHBPEP) at 1-800-575-WELL 

(1-800-575-9355), or visit 

www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/nhbpep. 

U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services 

National Institutes of Health 

NKDEP, a program of the National Institutes of Health, aims to 

improve early detection of kidney disease, help identify patients 

at risk for progression to kidney failure, and promote interventions 

to slow progression of kidney disease. 

NIH Publication No. 07-6209 • June 2007