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Mike Mitka

JAMA. 2004;291:2931-2932.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Chicago—For patients diagnosed as having diabetes mellitus, kidney disease looms as a dangerous comorbidity that accelerates the risk of cardiovascular complications, including death.

Until recently, the link between diabetes and kidney disease was unexplored, but researchers are now focusing on the interaction and uncovering useful interventions. Such interventions, such as controlling hypertension and hyperglycemia, can minimize, reverse, or even prevent kidney disease in patients with diabetes.

Experts urge aggressive targeting of many risk factors to minimize or prevent kidney complications for patients with diabetes.

A GROWING PROBLEM

The problem is large and growing. In 2002, an estimated 18.2 million individuals had diabetes—6.3% of the population—according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also noted that diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), accounting for 44% of new cases. (In 2001, 142 963 individuals with diabetes-related ESRD were receiving dialysis or had received . . . [Full Text of this Article]