Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and a family history of kidney Taking steps to control your diabetes and high blood pressure can keep your …
Diabetes High
Blood Pressure
Make the Kidney Connection
What African Americans Need to Know
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
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 doctors 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
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:
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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
you have heart cardiovascular disease; your mother, father, sister, or brother has kidney disease; or
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If you have
Get tested to see if you have kidney disease
Take steps to slow down kidney disease and avoid kidney failur 
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If your kidneys fail, you will need to go on dialysis or have a kidney transplant
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
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
Blood and urine tests are used to find kidney disease
Tests for kidney disease:
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A blood test helps your doctor measure your GFR, which tells you how well your kidneys are working A urine test measures the amount of protein in your urine, which checks for kidney damage
Make sure your doctor tells you:
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your GFR, how much protein is in your urine, and your blood pressure
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GFR stands for glomerular filtration rate
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 wwwnkdepnihgov More
kidney information also is available at wwwkidneyniddknihgov About diabetes: Contact the National Diabetes Education Program NDEP at 1-800-438-5383, or visit wwwndepnihgov About high blood pressure: Contact the National High Blood Pressure Education Program NHBPEP at 1-800-575-WELL 1-800-575-9355, or visit wwwnhlbinihgov/about/nhbpep
US 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
Source:questdiagnostics.com
