Kidney Disease
Frequently Asked Questions
3. What causes kidney disease?
Kidney disease is most often caused by diabetes or high blood pressure.
Each kidney contains about one million tiny filters made up of blood vessels. These filters are called glomeruli. Diabetes and high blood pressure damage these blood vessels, so the kidneys are not able to filter the blood as well as they used to. Usually this damage happens slowly, over many years. As more and more filters are damaged, the kidneys eventually stop working.
