What is the relationship between diabetes and kidney disease?

High blood sugar levels can indeed damage kidney blood vessels, which is why this answer is the correct one. In individuals with diabetes, sustained elevated blood glucose levels can lead to various complications, including nephropathy. Over time, high glucose concentrations can harm the delicate filtering system of the kidneys, specifically affecting the glomeruli. This process often leads to increased pressure and damage, resulting in kidney dysfunction and even progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The other options present misconceptions about the relationship between diabetes and kidney health. While it is true that diabetes can have harmful effects on kidney function, stating that diabetes improves kidney function is inaccurate. Likewise, diabetes does have significant impacts on kidney health, hence the claim that it has no impact is fundamentally flawed. Finally, the notion that only Type 1 diabetes affects the kidneys overlooks the fact that both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes can lead to similar kidney complications, highlighting that this issue is relevant across different types of diabetes.