The most common cause ofchronic renal failure is diabetes, whether type 1 or type 2. This is because diabetes damages small blood vessels, including those inside the kidneys. In general, the diseases that cause cardiovascular problems are also risk factors for kidney disease. Old age, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, smoking and low HDL cholesterol (“good cholesterol”)¹. Other risk factors can cause chronic kidney disease, including the following:

• Pyelonephritis (infection of the kidneys);
• Polycystic kidney disease;
• Autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus;

• Obstruction of the urinary tract (as in an enlarged prostate);
• Use of drugs metabolized by the kidneys, such as certain cancer chemotherapy drugs.