Better Diabetes Care Can Decrease Kidney Failure

The latest CDC Vital Signs report finds that diabetes-related kidney failure among Native Americans (American Indians/Alaskan Natives) decreased 54 percent between 1996 and 2013—the fastest decline of any racial/ethnic group in the United States.

Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, a costly condition that requires dialysis or kidney transplant for survival. Kidney failure can be delayed or prevented by controlling blood pressure and blood sugar and by taking medicines that protect the kidneys.

The remarkable decrease in kidney failure among Native American adults follows population-based approaches to diabetes management and improvements in clinical care begun by the Indian Health Service (IHS) in the mid-1980s. Important improvements that contributed to reduced kidney failures among Native Americans with diabetes included:

• Use of medicines that protect kidneys increased from 42% to 74% (1997-2002), and has remained steady.
• Average blood pressure in those with hypertension is well-controlled (133/76 in 2015).
• Blood sugar control improved by 10% between 1996 and 2014.
• More than 60% of those 65 years and older had a urine test for kidney damage (2015), compared to 40% of the Medicare diabetes population (2013).

This approach of strong and coordinated clinical care – along with education, community outreach and environmental changes – can be used in any community to help dramatically reduce complications from diabetes.

Patients with diabetes and their families can:

• Ask about being tested for kidney disease.
• Check their blood pressure and blood sugar regularly; talk with their healthcare provider about goals.
• Talk with their healthcare provider if they are having problems getting or taking their medicines.
• Reduce salt intake to lower blood pressure and protect their kidneys.

To learn more, visit the Vital Signs web page.