Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease

High blood pressure creates all sorts of problems for the body. (Read about "Hypertension: High Blood Pressure") It is linked to increased rates of heart attacks, stroke and other problems. (Read about "Heart Attack" "Stroke") It is also the second leading cause of kidney failure in the United States, second only to diabetes. (Read about "Diabetes and Kidney Disease" "Diabetes") The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) says that uncontrolled or poorly controlled high blood pressure is the primary cause of about 25 percent of kidney failures. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) says that results in about 15,000 new cases of kidney failure every year.

The kidneys clean wastes from our blood stream. Inside the kidney, tiny blood vessels mingle with other vessels that move the waste out of the body via the urinary system. (Read about "The Urinary System") If those tiny blood vessels are damaged, the process breaks down. (Read about "Kidney Disease") High blood pressure is known to cause damage to all the blood vessels in the body. (Read about "Vascular System")

High blood pressure is often called the silent killer because is often does not have symptoms. About 50 million Americans have high blood pressure according to NKF. People with a greater risk according, to NIDDK and NKF are:

• elderly
• people with a family history of high blood pressure (Read about "Family Health History")
• people who are overweight (Read about "Obesity")
• African-Americans

In fact, NKF says, high blood pressure is the leading cause of kidney failure among African-Americans. NIDDK says African-Americans, ages 25-44, are 20 times more likely to develop kidney failure from high blood pressure than whites of the same age group.

High blood pressure is easily diagnosed. Regular check-ups are easy and crucial. For someone with kidney disease, NIDDK says that high blood pressure is defined as a systolic number higher than 129 mmHg or a diastolic number higher than 79 mmHg. However, even if your blood pressure numbers are lower than these, your doctor may still decide you need to reduce them further, to lessen your risk of developing complications.

Many blood pressure drugs on the market can successfully lower blood pressure and slow down if not stop the progressive kidney damage caused by high blood pressure - once again an important reason to see your doctor for regular check-ups. Kidneys do not repair themselves so once kidney function drops far enough the only solution is either dialysis or a kidney transplant. (Read about "End Stage Renal Disease" "Transplants")

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute also suggests the following to help control high blood pressure:

• weight control (Read about "Losing Weight")
• limit your sodium intake (Read about "Sodium")
• exercise (Read about "Exercise and Your Heart")
• avoid excessive alcohol intake (Read about "Alcoholism")

Severe high blood pressure can damage the kidney in a relatively short period of time, according to NKF. Also, high blood pressure can be a sign of kidney disease from another cause, because as the kidneys lose their ability to remove excess fluids from the body, blood pressure rises - another reason it is imperative to treat high blood pressure as soon as possible.

Related Information:

    Bone Loss and Kidney Disease

    Women and Blood Pressure

    Cholesterol