Diabetes and kidney health: how continuous glucose monitoring can help

Kidneys play a big part in a body’s overall health. They filter waste products out of blood, help maintain the balance of fluids and electrolytes, support calcium absorption, help produce red blood cells and regulate blood pressure to maintain proper health. Every body needs support from their kidneys, but kidney health is especially critical for people with diabetes.

“When you have diabetes, high blood sugar over many years can damage your kidneys by damaging the tiny blood vessels and filtering units in your kidneys in several ways, including blood vessel damage, increased kidney pressure, kidney inflammation and kidney fibrosis, or scar tissue development,” says Jennifer Huisman, nurse practitioner, endocrinology. “With time, these changes lead to progressive kidney failure and the need for dialysis.”

Additional kidney risks that people with diabetes face includes diabetic nephropathy, which is kidney disease caused by high blood pressure, and renal artery stenosis, which is blocked blood flow to the kidney. To mitigate these risks, it is crucial for people with diabetes to manage blood sugar levels, stay hydrated and follow a balanced diet.

“Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure in the United States. However, kidney failure is not inevitable,” says Huisman. “With good blood sugar control and the right medications, many people with diabetes can slow down or even stop kidney damage from getting worse.”

A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can be a helpful tool for people with diabetes to understand and manage their blood sugar and promote their kidney health. The device continuously tracks blood glucose levels using a small sensor placed under the skin, allowing patients and their healthcare team to watch blood glucose changes and patterns daily and over time and take the right actions when needed.

“The use of a CGM device provides real time feedback regarding the impact of food, drink, illness or stress on blood sugar levels.” says Huisman. “CGM tracks trends over time to help identify patterns of high and low blood sugars. These patterns are used by health care providers to guide education and treatment changes including medication adjustments. Patients often report new awareness of how current dietary choices or behaviors affect their blood sugars; these awarenesses impact future behavior and lifestyle changes that in turn promote improved health and long-term outcomes.”

IU Health’s CGM device users can trust that their care team will guide them through every step of their CGM journey and be empowered to use their device as they manage diabetes themselves. Learn more about continuous glucose monitor (CGM) devices and the experienced CGM care team.