Kidneys are small powerhouses in your body. Though often ignored, your kidneys are responsible for filtering out waste in your body, flushing that waste through your body’s systems, and keeping your blood healthy, strong, and happy.

When the kidneys’ health begins to go awry, your body undergoes serious difficulty, some of which has the potential to incur long-lasting damage. Diabetes can adversely affect how well your kidneys can filter, which can lead to complications of both diabetes and kidney disease or failure.

What Exactly Do Your Kidneys Do?

Your kidneys come in a pair and are an organ system whose purpose is filtering and flushing your blood. Your kidneys are responsible for removing waste, toxins, and other unnecessary items from your blood, which are then removed from your body via body fluids. If your kidneys are not working properly, waste and toxins can build up in your blood and body, causing inflammation and damage to the other bodily systems.

How Does Diabetes Affect Your Kidneys?

Although diabetes affects every major organ system in your body when it is not kept in check, diabetes can be particularly hairy for your kidneys. If your blood glucose levels are not managed and kept low, your kidneys cannot keep up with waste removal. How exactly is diabetes dangerous for your kidneys?

#1. It Causes Nerve Damage

Nerve damage caused by poor circulation can create nerve damage within your kidneys, which can then lead to poor kidney function. Nerve damage can also impact your bladder, which can lead to a breakdown in the basic bowel and urinary function, both of which are tied to your kidneys.

#2. It Increases the Risk of Kidney Disease

Kidney disease is far more common among diabetes patients than it is among the general population. Because your kidneys are more heavily taxed due to high blood sugar and decreased insulin production, they can become more easily fatigued and diseased.

#3. It Increases the Risk of Infection

Typically, kidney infections are not extremely easy to come by. When your body is taxed by constant inflammation, excess sugar, and high blood pressure, your risk of developing infection increases. Something as simple as a UTI or yeast infection can turn into a kidney infection quickly, which has the potential to do a lot of damage.

Your kidneys are not automatically severely damaged after being diagnosed with diabetes, but your risk factors are much higher. Fortunately, managing diabetes carefully and effectively also manages your kidneys, and creates a healthy, strong environment for your body’s various systems.