Diabetes can lead to a variety of health complications, including kidney disease. Diabetes is actually the primary cause of kidney failure, and approximately 40 percent of people with diabetes will develop chronic kidney disease.
Protect your kidneys
The good news is that diabetic kidney disease does not happen quickly, which means you can take steps to protect your kidneys! Even if your kidneys are already damaged, you can control your diabetes to help keep them from getting worse.
The following steps can help prevent diabetic kidney disease, or slow it if you already have it:
- Control your blood sugar: Because high blood sugar can damage the kidneys, it is important to monitor your blood sugar regularly and work with your diabetes care team to keep your blood sugar within your blood glucose goal range.
- Control your blood pressure: Right behind diabetes, high blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure. Having both diabetes and high blood pressure increases your risk of kidney disease.
- Control your cholesterol: High cholesterol speeds up the progression of kidney disease.
- Be physically active: Daily physical activity and exercise help control blood pressure and lower blood sugar.
- Follow a proper diabetic diet and keep a healthy weight: Picking healthy foods, eating smaller meals and eating more often can help control diabetes and prevent problems. Work with a dietician to plan meals and learn what is right for you.
It can be difficult to handle the many aspects of diabetes management and kidney disease management on your own. A qualified home care agency, such as Independence-4-Seniors, can develop private and personalized in-home care plans that help empower clients to enhance their health and ensure a vibrant quality of life at home. Contact us today to learn more.