Explore this page
Treating anemia Promoting bone health Falls prevention Promoting mental wellbeing Controlling diabetes Increasing heart health Heart, diabetes & chronic kidney disease connection

Managing associated kidney health concerns

Learn how to prevent and treat health issues related to chronic kidney disease.

location

Treating anemia

Anemia is a common problem for people with chronic kidney disease, especially in the later stages (Stages 4 and 5). Anemia happens when you don't have enough red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. Hemoglobin is a part of red blood cells that helps carry oxygen. Doctors check hemoglobin levels to see how bad the anemia is.

Treatments for anemia depend on what's causing it. They might include eating different foods, taking vitamins or minerals, special medicines like synthetic erythropoietin (EPO), or, in advanced cases, getting a blood transfusion.

Learn more

People with kidney disease often get anemia because their kidneys can't make enough of a hormone called EPO, which tells your body to make more red blood cells. Without enough EPO, your body doesn't make enough red blood cells, leading to anemia.

Symptoms of anemia include feeling very tired, shortness of breath, and feeling cold easily. The only way to know for sure if you have anemia is through a blood test.

Treating anemia is very important. It can help you have more energy, think more clearly, and feel better overall. It also reduces the risk of serious heart problems, like left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), which is when the heart's main pumping chamber gets bigger and doesn't work as well.

Promoting bone health

The kidneys help remove waste, control fluids, and keep bones strong. But when the kidneys don’t work well, it can lead to mineral and bone disorder. This happens when important minerals, like calcium and phosphorus, get out of balance.

Learn more

Phosphorus is a mineral and most of it is stored in the bones. When the kidneys stop working, they can’t get rid of extra phosphorus. This causes phosphorus to build up in the blood, which can make calcium leave the bones. When this happens, bones can become weak and break easily. Too much phosphorus can also mix with calcium in the blood, causing calcifications in the blood vessels and soft tissue.

To treat mineral and bone disorder, it’s important to keep calcium and phosphorus levels balanced. This can be done through changes in diet, taking medicine, and sometimes surgery. Doctors might give patients phosphate binders to stop the body from absorbing too much phosphorus from food. Blood tests help doctors and dieticians decide if people need to avoid foods with high phosphorus. It’s a good idea to talk to a dietitian to make the best food choices for healthy bones and heart.

Falls prevention

Patients with weak bones are more likely to fall and get hurt. To lower this risk, kidney patients should follow their diet plans, move and exercise, take their medicines as told by their doctor, and make their homes safer. This includes moving things you might trip over and making sure there is enough light. Wearing glasses if needed can help too. It’s also important to tell your health-care team if you feel dizzy, faint, or have fallen at home.

Promoting mental wellbeing

Taking care of your mental health is just as important as managing your physical health, especially if you have chronic kidney disease. People with kidney disease often deal with mental health challenges like anxiety, depression, stress, anger, and grief. The emotional strain of living with a long-term illness can affect your overall well-being.

Learn more

There are ways to cope with these feelings, such as expressing your emotions, practicing deep breathing, using muscle relaxation techniques, and finding helpful resources. Your health-care team, especially social workers, can help you find the support you need.

For more information see:

Controlling diabetes

Managing diabetes well is very important for staying healthy. Keeping blood sugar at a healthy level can help prevent problems like heart disease, stroke, nerve damage, and vision loss. It also protects organs like the kidneys and liver from damage. Good diabetes care can give you more energy, improve your mood, and help your body heal faster. This helps you feel better and live a healthier life. In short, taking care of your diabetes helps protect your body and prevent serious health problems.

Diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Diabetes is a major cause of chronic kidney disease. About one in three adults with diabetes will have kidney problems. Because of this, doctors often check people with diabetes for kidney disease. High blood sugar can hurt the blood vessels in the kidneys, making them work less well over time.

Managing diabetes is very important to slow down kidney damage. This means keeping blood sugar levels healthy, eating a kidney-friendly diet, and working with your health-care team. Knowing how diabetes affects your kidneys can help you take steps to protect your kidney health.

Increasing heart health

The heart and kidneys are closely connected and work together to keep the body healthy. The heart pumps blood to the kidneys, giving them oxygen and nutrients. The kidneys clean waste and extra fluid from the blood, which helps control blood pressure.

If the heart isn’t working well, it can cause less blood to reach the kidneys, which can hurt them. If the kidneys aren’t working well, they may not remove enough fluid, making blood pressure go up. This makes the heart work harder and can cause heart problems. Taking care of the heart is taking care of the kidneys.

For general information on heart health see:

Lowering high blood pressure

High blood pressure and kidney damage are closely linked. High blood pressure can hurt the kidneys over time. The kidneys help control blood pressure, but when it stays high, it can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys. As the kidneys get more damaged, blood pressure can go up even more, which increases the risk of kidney disease. Monitoring your blood pressure and managing it with medicine and regular check-ups is very important to protect the kidneys and prevent serious problems.

Heart, diabetes & chronic kidney disease connection

The health of the kidneys, heart, and blood sugar levels are all connected and affect each other.

  1. Kidneys and Heart: The kidneys and heart work together to control blood pressure and balance fluids. If the kidneys are damaged, they might not filter blood well, causing high blood pressure, which makes the heart work harder. Also, heart problems can reduce blood flow to the kidneys, making them worse.
  2. Heart and Diabetes: Diabetes can cause heart problems because high blood sugar can damage the blood vessels and nerves that help the heart work. People with diabetes are more likely to get heart diseases which, in serious causes, can lead to heart attacks.
  3. Diabetes and Kidneys: High blood sugar from diabetes can hurt the blood vessels in the kidneys over time, leading to kidney disease. This happens because the kidneys have to work harder to remove extra sugar from the blood, which can make them less effective and eventually fail.

In short, diabetes can hurt both the heart and kidneys. The health of these organs is connected through blood pressure and fluid balance. It’s important to manage diabetes, heart health, and kidney function together for overall well-being.

Stories@IH

Read our latest stories

View All Stories

4 Minute Read
Community & Culture
We are IH: Policy specialist finds joy in her role

Tineke was the first policy specialist hired at IH. For two-plus years, she has helped organize many IH policies.

/stories/we-are-ih-policy-specialist-finds-joy-her-role

4 Minute Read
Community & Culture
Why U.S. medical lab professionals are looking to work in Canada

Recent regulatory changes are making it easier for U.S.-trained lab professionals to find a job in Canada. Attractive benefits make the move north enticing.

/stories/why-us-medical-lab-professionals-are-looking-work-canada

4 Minute Read
Community & Culture
Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc grad offers midwifery care close to home

As a doula, Sage Thomas attended a home birth where the family integrated Indigenous ceremonial practices. She’s now practising midwifery in her home community.

/stories/tkemlups-te-secwepemc-grad-offers-midwifery-care-close-home

2 Minute Read
Community & Culture
We are IH: Care aide proud that residents consider her a friend

Thirty-five years into her career with IH, Elizabeth Adolph still loves what she does: taking care of residents at Mountain View Lodge in Lillooet.

/stories/we-are-ih-care-aide-proud-residents-consider-her-friend

5 Minute Read
Health & Wellness
IH’s fifth In Plain Sight Response supports reconciliation

In the 5 years since the In Plain Sight report was released, we’ve made strides towards being a culturally safe organization—but there’s more work to do.

/stories/ihs-fifth-plain-sight-response-supports-reconciliation

3 Minute Read
Community & Culture
We are IH: Pharmacy tech enjoys problem solving for patients

Inspired by her aunt’s career as a pharmacist, Angela became a pharmacy technician to use the hands-on aspect of compounding to benefit patient care.

/stories/we-are-ih-pharmacy-tech-enjoys-problem-solving-patients

STAY CONNECTED

Receive news, alerts, public service announcements and articles right to your inbox.

Sign up today
mail