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Are You at Risk for Chronic Kidney Disease

Are you at Risk for Chronic Kidney Disease?

Diabetes and high blood pressure are responsible for about 2 out of 3 cases of chronic kidney disease (CKD). There are also other factors that may increase your risk of CKD. 

Kidney disease tends to impact Black, Native American, Hispanic, and Asian people more than others. 

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Causes and Risk Factors for Chronic Kidney Disease

Many factors can put you or a family member at increased risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Here are some of the most common ones. 

Diabetes and High Blood Pressure

The 2 leading causes of CKD in the United States are 

Diabetes, high blood pressure and CKD are linked. If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, you are at increased risk for CKD. Each condition can lead to or worsen the other. Controlling these diseases can help prevent or slow down associated kidney diseases. 

 

Yellow background with text that reads "Controlling diabetes and high blood pressure can help prevent or slow down the progression of chronic kidney disease"

Glomerulonephritis

The 3rd leading cause of CKD in the United States is glomerulonephritis. This disease damages the kidney’s filtering units, called the glomeruli. In some cases, there is no known cause. Sometimes glomerulonephritis is caused by an infection, or the disease may be inherited. 

Other Causes

  • Infections
  • Obstructions, like kidney stones, tumors, or enlarged prostate gland in men
  • Inherited diseases, like polycystic kidney disease

Other Risk Factors

  • Family history of CKD 
  • Abnormal kidney structure 
  • Heart and blood vessel disease 
  • Smoking 
  • Obesity 
  • Age 65 and older 
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