Smoking Risk to Diabetics Found

Smoking appears to significantly boost the risk of kidney damage among diabetics, Colorado scientists reported last week in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. Researchers from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver said their study of 359 insulin-dependent diabetics ages 14 to 21 found that those who smoked were two to three times more likely to develop kidney damage than nonsmokers.

To gauge the amount of kidney damage, H. Peter Chase and his colleagues looked at levels of albumin, a protein normally found in the blood, in the patients’ urine--an indication of kidney failure. The smoking diabetics had levels of albumin that were nearly three times higher than diabetics who did not smoke.

Although all insulin-dependent diabetics are known to face a greater risk of kidney failure than non-diabetics, Chase said: “Diabetics who choose to smoke are putting themselves in greater danger of kidney failure.” The threat of kidney failure drops substantially if smoking is stopped, Chase added.