HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
Causes of CKD
Ngā take mō te māuiuitanga whatumanawa karioi
Some people are more at risk of getting CKD. People who are in the higher risk group include those who:
- have high blood pressure
- are an unhealthy weight
- smoke
- have diabetes
- have heart disease
- have a family history of kidney disease
- have Māori or Pacific ethnicity
- are 60 or older.
If you or a member of your whānau (family) are in one of these groups, talk to your general practice team about being tested for kidney problems. Also find out what you can do to keep them healthy and functioning well.
The 2 commonest causes of kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.
Diabetes
When your blood sugar is raised, it causes damage to many blood vessels in your body, including the blood vessels in your kidneys.
About 1 in 3 people with diabetes will end up with some kidney damage.
Kidney disease caused by diabetes is called diabetic nephropathy.
Read more about diabetes & kidney disease.
High blood pressure
High blood pressure damages the small vessels that take blood to the kidney filters and can also damage the filters themselves.
Other causes
- Kidney inflammation called glomerulonephritis is a group of diseases that affects the filtering units in your kidneys.
- Polycystic kidney disease causes cysts to form in your kidneys. This is an inherited disease, which means it is passed down from your parents.
- Lupus and other diseases that affect your body's immune system can also affect your kidneys.
- Obstructions or blockages in the flow of urine caused by kidney stones or an enlarged prostate gland can affect your kidneys.
- Urinary reflux where the urine flows back from your bladder to your kidneys can cause scarring in your kidneys.
- Repeated kidney infections can lead to long-term kidney problems.
- Long term regular use of pain-relieving medicines called anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) can harm your kidneys.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Kidney Health New Zealand – Information on kidney disease
Printable information about different causes of kidney disease, recognising the symptoms of kidney disease and treatment and management options.
- Kidney Health Australia – Nephritis – glomerulonephritis
This brochure answers questions like what is glomerulonephritis, who gets it, and what are the chances of getting renal failure?
- NHS – Glomerulonephritis
This section explains what glomerulonephritis is, its symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment and possible complications.
On the next page: Treating CKD
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed March 2025.
SourcesReview key: HIKID-202879
