Diabetes patients may develop diabetic nephropathy, a form of progressive kidney disease. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetics are affected, and the risk rises with time spent battling the condition as well as other risk factors like high blood pressure and a family history of kidney disease. Diabetes-related problems are believed to be the cause of about 40%Trusted Source of kidney failure cases, and it is estimated that 180,000 people currently have kidney failure. Diabetes is moreover the most typical source of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The fifth and last stage of diabetic nephropathy is called ESRD.The progression of diabetic nephropathy is sluggish. The progression of the disease can be slowed down or even stopped with early therapy. Both having diabetes and developing diabetic nephropathy are not guarantees that the condition would advance to kidney failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD).