Diabetes can affect your kidneys and your risk of chronic kidney disease. Learn about the symptoms, prevention, and management of CKD in diabetes.
How diabetes and chronic kidney disease are connected
Living with diabetes means taking care of your whole body, including your kidneys. You might have questions about how type 2 diabetes and kidney health are connected, and how to protect yourself against chronic kidney disease. That’s why we’ve gathered answers to some common questions and concerns you might have about managing these conditions together. Remember to reach out to your healthcare team for support in understanding and managing your health!
What is chronic kidney disease?
Chronic kidney disease, or CKD, occurs from persistent damage to the kidneys, which over time, causes them to slowly stop working properly1. This damage can occur from high blood sugar levels or continued inflammation, eventually causing damage to the internal structures of the kidney2. It’s usually a gradual process that develops over months and years3, and can affect anyone at any age, although it does become more common in later life4.
How does high blood sugar affect the kidneys?
People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes have sugar levels in the bloodstream that are too high5. Blood sugar levels are controlled by insulin, which is produced in the pancreas. In type 2 diabetes, the body can’t use insulin effectively and over time, it may not be able to keep up with the demand. In type 1 diabetes, your immune system attacks the cells in your pancreas that make insulin5. Without enough insulin, the levels of sugar in your blood increase5.
High blood sugar affects the kidneys, as it can cause damage to the delicate blood vessels and tubules that are responsible for filtering the blood3. This damage disrupts the normal filtering process, stopping the kidneys from efficiently removing waste3. If the damage persists over time, the kidneys may stop working altogether, causing harmful waste products to build up in the body6.
Additionally, diabetes can lead to high blood pressure, which is one of the risk factors for chronic kidney disease7.
Chronic kidney disease can be caused by many conditions, as the different systems and organs working in our body are interconnected and affect each other1,3,4. When a chronic disease puts one system under pressure, it can affect or even cause a disorder in another part of the body8. Around 40% of people living with type 2 diabetes will develop chronic kidney disease9. For support and to learn how to manage your diabetes with kidney disease, reach out to your healthcare professional.
How to prevent chronic kidney disease in diabetes
It’s important to remember that type 2 diabetes and kidney disease are linked – you can help prevent chronic kidney disease by managing your blood sugar levels, speaking to your healthcare professional and attending your regular check-ups. This will help you to detect early signs of kidney disease with diabetes.
Early diagnosis can slow down and even prevent chronic kidney disease progressing to more severe stages of the disease3. It’s important to be aware that if you have diabetes, you are at a greater risk of developing chronic kidney disease10 – speak to your healthcare professional, who can help you monitor your kidney health.
What are the signs and symptoms of kidney disease in people with diabetes?
The symptoms of chronic kidney disease in people with diabetes are easy to miss, meaning diagnosing the disease can be challenging. In fact, mild-to-moderate kidney disease sometimes doesn’t have any symptoms at all, and it’s often diagnosed during a check-up for type 2 diabetes11.
If symptoms do appear, they can include blood in your urine, shortness of breath, or feeling tired or nauseous without any apparent cause11.
It’s important to be aware of the signs of kidney failure in type 2 diabetes and attend regular check-ups with your healthcare professional, to detect it as early as possible. You might notice swelling in your feet or ankles, the need to use the bathroom more often (especially at night) and higher blood pressure readings than normal11.
Visit your healthcare professional if you experience any of these signs and symptoms, and ensure you attend your regular check-ups to keep on top of your diabetes.
Our body is made up of various interconnected systems, which explains why having type 2 diabetes increases your risk of developing other chronic diseases, such as chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease or obesity. For people with type 2 diabetes, it’s especially important to not only monitor your blood sugar levels, but also the:
- Protection of your kidneys
- Health of your heart and blood vessels
- Management of your body fat and weight
Speak to your healthcare professional who can help you with monitoring your overall health alongside your diabetes.
If you’d like to learn more about type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, visit our animated series linked below for more information. If you want to understand the link between type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, you can visit this page.
Learn more about the link between type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease
HQ24DI00382
References
- Evans M, Lewis RD, Morgan AR, et al. A Narrative Review of Chronic Kidney Disease in Clinical Practice: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives. Adv Ther. 2022;39:33-43.
- Kadatane SP, Satariano M, Massey M, et al. The Role of Inflammation in CKD. Cells. 2023;12.
- Wu T, Ding L, Andoh V, et al. The Mechanism of Hyperglycemia-Induced Renal Cell Injury in Diabetic Nephropathy Disease: An Update. Life (Basel). 2023;13.
- Kalantar-Zadeh K, Jafar T.H, Nitsch D, et al. Chronic kidney disease. The lancet. 2021;398(10302), pp.786-802.
- International Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas Report 10th Edition 2021. Available at: https://diabetesatlas.org/atlas/tenth-edition/ Last accessed: January 2025.
- Thomas R, Kanso A and Sedor JR. Chronic kidney disease and its complications. Prim Care. 2008;35:329-44, vii.
- Diabetes UK. Diabetes and blood pressure. Available at: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/blood-pressure Last accessed: January 2025.
- Maresova P, Javanmardi E, Barakovic S, et al. Consequences of chronic diseases and other limitations associated with old age - a scoping review. BMC Public Health. 2019;19:1431.
- International Diabetes Federation. IDF Atlas: Diabetes and Kidney Disease Report, 2023. Available at: https://diabetesatlas.org/idfawp/resource-files/2023/11/IDF1040-Atlas-Diabetes-and-Kidney-Disease-Report-V4.pdf Last accessed: January 2025.
- Kalantar-Zadeh K, Jafar TH, Nitsch D, et al. Chronic kidney disease. Lancet. 2021;398:786-802.
- Vaidya SR AN. National Institute of Health. Chronic Kidney Disease. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535404/ Last accessed: January 2025.