Title: Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease | National Kidney Foundation
Headings: Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease
Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease
Content: Of these, 21.0 million are diagnosed and 8.1 million are undiagnosed. In 2013, diabetes led to more than 51,000 new cases of kidney failure and over 247,000 people are currently living with kidney failure resulting from diabetes. Diabetes is characterized by high levels of blood sugar, resulting from insufficient production of insulin or defects in insulin action in the body. Type 2 diabetes (also called noninsulin-dependent diabetes) is far more common than type 1 (insulin-dependent diabetes), accounting for about 90 to 95 percent of the cases of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is most common in people over 40, but is increasing among younger people including children and adolescents. Diabetes damages small blood vessels throughout the body, affecting the kidneys as well as other organs and tissues including skin, nerves, muscles, intestines and the heart. Patients with diabetes can develop high blood pressure as well as rapid hardening of the arteries, which can also lead to heart disease and eye disorders. Diabetes is more prevalent in certain ethnic groups. In American adults aged 20 or older, diabetes has been diagnosed in 13.2% of non-Hispanic blacks, 12.8% of Hispanics, 9% of Asian Americans and 7.6% of non-Hispanic whites. The risk factors for type 1 diabetes include autoimmune, genetic and environmental factors.