Kidney Disease: Patient Education from University of Colorado Hospital

Living with Kidney Disease

You can help protect your kidneys by treating your diabetes, if you have it, and controlling your blood pressure. Diabetes can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys, making it harder for them to clean your blood. High blood pressure (hypertension) increases stress on the walls of your arteries. This pressure can also damage the kidneys.

You can also improve kidney function by:

• Drinking plenty of water
• Exercising
• Not smoking
• Avoiding excessive use of some medications (ibuprofen and some antibiotics)
• Controlling alcohol consumption

Getting a Second Opinion About Kidney Disease

Your doctors at University of Colorado Hospital can provide a second opinion if you have questions about the function of your kidneys.

Additional Kidney Disease Resources

National Kidney Foundation