Blood Pressure and Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is the medical term for a group of metabolic disorders that share one feature: elevated blood sugar levels or detectable sugar in the urine. In many cases, reduced or absent insulin production is the cause of the high blood sugar. A typical example is type 1 diabetes, where the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas have been destroyed by an autoimmune reaction. In type 2 diabetes, insulin production can often still be measured (at least early in the disease). However, for various reasons the biological activity of the insulin is impaired. As a result, the pancreas produces more insulin to compensate, and over time this overwork can cause the pancreas to lose its ability to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and is often associated with being overweight.
Sugar-related damage
Kidneys, blood pressure and diabetes
One organ that is particularly affected by diabetes is the kidney, whose job is to filter the blood. In diabetes, glycations occur in kidney tissue especially in the filtration apparatus (the glomeruli) which permanently impair kidney function. But the kidney does more than just clean the blood. It plays a major role in regulating blood pressure. If diabetes-related damage occurs in the kidney, usually reducing its filtration performance, the kidney interprets this as a need to increase the blood pressure to improve kidney blood flow and thus the filtration rate. That lays the first cornerstone for high blood pressure. If this condition remains untreated, glycation increases and the damage causes further rises in blood pressure. But even without diabetes, long-term hypertension damages the kidneys. Together with diabetes, both factors act over time to destroy the glomeruli.
This interaction of destructive factors can, in extreme cases, lead to total kidney failure and make dialysis or a transplant necessary.
Sources:
This article comes from BloodPressureDB – the leading app since 2011 that helps hundreds of thousands of people monitor their blood pressure every day.
Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based information and is continuously updated (as of 01/2026).
Author Sabine Croci is a certified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care. Since 2015 she has led the editorial team at BloodPressureDB. With additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder, and training in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably reviewed information.
Author Sabine Croci is a certified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care. Since 2015 she has led the editorial team at BloodPressureDB. With additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder, and training in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably reviewed information.
