Kidney Disease

• 37 million Americans over the age of 20 have chronic kidney disease, also known as CKD, including kidney failure.
• More than a million (or 1 in 7) adults in Michigan have chronic kidney disease. And most of them don’t even know it.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure in the U.S.
• High blood pressure is the second leading cause.
• African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans are at an increased risk for developing CKD from kidney disease.
• African Americans are four times more likely to develop kidney failure because of diabetes than Caucasians.
• African Americans are also 6.5 times more likely to develop kidney failure because of high blood pressure.
• Kidney failure caused by diabetes or high blood pressure can be prevented or delayed by eating healthy, increasing physical activity, and taking the right medications.

In most cases, the damage is caused by diabetes and high blood pressure. Diabetes occurs when your blood sugar is too high, resulting in damage to many organs and muscles in your body — including the kidneys and heart as well as blood vessels, nerves and eyes. Visit our Diabetes page for more information.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, occurs when the pressure of your blood increases against the walls of your blood vessels. If not controlled, high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes and chronic kidney disease. Visit our Hypertension page for more information.

You are at high risk for CKD if you:

• Have diabetes
• Have high blood pressure
• Have family members with CKD
• Are African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, or a Pacific Islander

If you checked any of the above items in the HIGH RISK category, it’s important that you see your doctor and ask for three simple tests:

• Blood pressure measurement,
• Urine test to detect protein in the urine
• GFR

If you’re concerned about CKD, or have any of the high risk factors, here’s what your next steps should be:

• Talk to your doctor about your risk factors.
• Ask your doctor to order the above listed three tests.
• Ask your doctor to explain the test results and what to do.

How Your Kidneys Work

The kidneys filter your body’s blood. Most people have two kidneys, located near the middle of their back, just below the rib cage. Kidneys remove waste and extra fluid in the form of urine. This waste comes from the breakdown of food as it’s digested and from normal muscle activity.

Your kidneys perform other important jobs as well. They:

• Control the level of water and chemicals in your blood
• Remove drugs and toxins from your body
• Release hormones into your blood to help your body make blood cells, build bones and regulate blood pressure