Diabetes Could Cost You Your Kidneys
(Toronto, Ontario) November
12, 2003
The Canadian Diabetes Association says act now!
The Canadian Diabetes Association will mark World Diabetes Day, November 14,
by urging Canadians with diabetes to act now to take care of their kidneys.
Click here for background information about diabetes and kidney disease
�Many people with diabetes don't know that they can be experiencing kidney
damage without even being aware of it. Noticeable problems may not appear
until 75 per cent of the kidneys are damaged,� notes Donna Lillie, Vice
President, Research and Professional Education for the Canadian Diabetes
Association.
� The best way to prevent or delay the onset of diabetic kidney disease is
to keep blood glucose levels at the target recommended by your doctor,� says
Lillie. �People need to be aware of the risk factors of diabetic kidney
disease and talk to their doctor about what they can do to reduce or delay
the likelihood of developing it.�
Risk factors for diabetic kidney disease include smoking, high blood
pressure, high levels of glucose in the blood and high levels of fat in
the blood (hyperlipidemia).
What Canadians with diabetes can do to help prevent diabetic kidney disease:
Maintain good control of blood glucose levels
Maintain good control of blood pressure
Avoid smoking
Address any risk factors for heart disease and stroke
Get screened annually for signs of protein in the urine
Get physically active and lose weight if necessary (under the supervision of
a physician)
Diabetic kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy) is a chronic, progressive
disease that develops in one third of all people with diabetes. High glucose
levels in the blood damages the small vessels in the kidneys, affecting the
kidney's ability to filter wastes from the body. This damage can progress to
kidney failure, also called end-stage renal disease (ESRD). At that time,
the kidneys almost completely stop cleaning wastes out of the blood. Unless
the disease is treated by dialysis or kidney transplantation, wastes build
up in the blood to poisonous levels and can lead to illness and death.
More than two million Canadians have diabetes and this number is expected to
increase dramatically as the population ages. In 2003, the Canadian Diabetes
Association marks 50 years of improving lives. With a presence in more than
150 communities, the Association works to prevent diabetes and improve the
quality of life for those affected, through research, education, service and
advocacy. Our broad range of programs and services, our successes in
advocacy, and our continued support of Canadian diabetes research are only
realized through the generous support and guidance of our volunteers and
donors. The Canadian Diabetes Association � Know who to turn to.
For more information, please
contact:
Alexis Mantell,
Senior Manager, Strategic Communications and Media Relations
(416) 363-0177 ext. 469
For more background information about diabetes and kidney disease, visit
www.diabetes.ca/kidneybkgr.pdf
2001 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of
Hypoglycemia in Diabetes
http://www.diabetes.ca/Files/CDAHypoglycemiaGuidelines.pdf
