What are the leading causes of chronic kidney disease?

• A. Hypertension and diabetes
• B. Smoking and obesity
• C. High cholesterol
• D. Infections

Answer: (A)

Chronic kidney disease most often arises from long-standing metabolic and vascular problems that progressively damage the kidneys. The leading causes are diabetes and hypertension. Diabetes injures the tiny filtering units of the kidney through high glucose levels over time, leading to diabetic nephropathy with gradual loss of function. Controlling blood sugar and blood pressure, and using kidney-protective therapies, can slow this process. Hypertension damages the renal vessels with high pressure, causing nephrosclerosis and a decline in filtration capacity; effective blood pressure management, often with ACE inhibitors or ARBs, helps protect kidney function.

Other factors like smoking, obesity, and high cholesterol increase the risk by promoting diabetes or hypertension and vascular disease, but they are not the primary drivers of CKD on a population level. Infections can damage kidneys in specific situations, but they are not the main cause of chronic kidney disease overall.