According to a study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology, low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, poses a serious health threat for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).  Glucose control is the key to preventing end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in CKD patients with diabetes.  Managing diabetes in CKD patients can be complicated because patients' reduced kidney function can affect how they react to anti-diabetes medications.
 
Researchers analyzed information from over 200,000 individuals and found the incidence of hypoglycemia was higher in patients with CKD versus without, both among patients with diabetes and among those without.  The risk of hypoglycemia was highest in individuals with both CKD and diabetes. 

This article originally appeared in the September 2009 issue of Kidney Beginnings: The Electronic Newsletter.