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How Does High Blood Pressure Affect The Kidneys

What Hypertension Does To Your Kidneys

Kidneys and High Blood Pressure: Dr. Michael Roizen, Cleveland Clinic Chief Wellness Officer

You can see this chicken-or-egg effect with high blood pressure and kidney disease as well. Hypertension puts extra pressure on the kidneys filtering units, which can lead to scarring. This impairs the kidneys ability to regulate fluid, which increases blood pressure.

If this cycle is not stopped, it can lead to kidney disease and kidney failure, says hypertension specialist George Thomas, MD, who is Director of the Center for Blood Pressure Disorders in the Department of Nephrology and Hypertension.

High blood pressure and uncontrolled diabetes are the most common causes of kidney disease.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of people with kidney disease dont realize they have it. The signs and symptoms may be attributed to other conditions and usually appear when the kidneys have already begun to fail. Here are symptoms to watch for:

  • Unusual fatigue.

Common Symptoms Of Kidney Failure Due To High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure and chronic kidney disease tend not to have any warning signs and symptoms in their early stages. However, as kidney disease advances, most people will notice swelling in their legs or sometimes in the face and hands a condition known as edema. Edema is a result of fluid accumulation in the body due to the reduced ability of the kidney to remove excess fluid.

Other noticeable symptoms may include:

  • Weight loss

  • Increased or decreased frequency of urination

  • Itchiness from the buildup of toxins in the kidney

What Can I Do To Help Control My High Blood Pressure

A healthy lifestyle is key to helping control any type of hypertension. Making changes in daily habits can help, such as:

  • Eating a heart-healthy diet: Choose fruits, vegetables, grains and low-fat dairy foods.
  • Exercising regularly, at least 30 minutes a day of moderate activity, such as walking .
  • Keeping your weight under control: Check with your healthcare provider for a weight-loss program, if needed.
  • Quitting smoking, if you smoke.
  • Cutting back on alcoholic drinks.
  • Limiting caffeine intake.
  • Limiting sodium in your diet: Read nutrition labels on packaged foods to learn how much sodium is in one serving.
  • Reducing and avoiding stress when possible: Many people find that regular meditation or yoga helps.

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What Can You Do To Reduce The Effect Of High Blood Pressure On Your Kidneys And General Health

You can do a lot!

The best way to slow or prevent kidney disease from high blood pressure is to take steps to lower your blood pressure.

These steps usually include a combination of medication and lifestyle changes such as:

  • Always keep your doctors appointments.
  • Keep track of your blood pressure levels.
  • Maintain a healthy diet.
  • Remember to take your prescribed medication.
  • Maintain a healthy weight.

Blood Pressure Fast Facts

High Blood Pressure
  • The top number in a blood pressure measurement is called the systolic pressure. This measures the force of blood against the walls of the arteries when the heart is pumping. The lower number is called the diastolic pressure. This measures the force of the blood when the heart is between beats. Both numbers are important and need to be controlled.
  • In 2017, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association published new guidelines for hypertension management and defined high hypertension as a blood pressure at or above 130/80 mm Hg. Stage 2 hypertension is defined as a blood pressure at or above 140/90 mm Hg
  • Nearly half of all adults in the US have high blood pressure
  • Only about 1 out of every 4 people with high blood pressure have their condition under control

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How Is Kidney Disease Diagnosed

As with high blood pressure, you may not realize that you have kidney disease. Certain laboratory tests can indicate whether your kidneys are eliminating waste products properly. These tests include serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen elevated levels of either can indicate kidney damage. Proteinuria, an excess of protein in the urine, is also a sign of kidney disease.

What Is Renal Hypertension

Renal hypertension is high blood pressure caused by the narrowing of your arteries that carry blood to your kidneys. It is also sometimes called renal artery stenosis. Because your kidneys are not getting enough blood, they react by making a hormone that makes your blood pressure rise.

This condition is a treatable form of high blood pressure when properly diagnosed.

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How Does High Blood Pressure Affect My Kidneys

Here is how high blood pressure can affect your kidneys:

  • Your kidneys need a lot of blood in order to filter fluid and waste out of your body.
  • If high blood pressure damages the blood vessels that deliver blood to your kidneys, your kidneys will act as if you are dehydrated .
  • So, your kidneys will tell your body to hold on to extra salt and fluid.
  • As your blood fills with this extra salt and fluid, your blood pressure goes up. In time, this can lead to kidney failure.
  • What Role Do The Kidneys Play

    High Blood Pressure and Your Kidneys – A to Z Guide

    Kidneys are bean-shaped organs located in the abdomen. The kidney performs various essential functions, including:

    • Waste and toxin removal in the form of urine

    • Salt or electrolyte balance in the body

    • Releasing vital hormones that control blood pressure

    • Releasing hormones that stimulate the bone marrow to create red blood cells

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    How Can I Strengthen My Kidneys

    Here are some tips to help keep your kidneys healthy. Keep active and fit. Control your blood sugar. Monitor blood pressure. Monitor weight and eat a healthy diet. Drink plenty of fluids. Dont smoke. Be aware of the amount of OTC pills you take. Have your kidney function tested if youre at high risk.

    Ways To Lower Your Blood Pressure

    Lowering your blood pressure will help you avoid kidney damage and may slow the progression of kidney disease if you already have it. These steps can help protect your kidneys:

  • Improve your diet: Limit sugary snacks, junk food, high-sodium foods and foods that contain saturated fats. Make sure your diet includes a healthy mix of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and fish, poultry and lean meats.

  • Lose weight: Excess weight stresses your heart and may raise your blood pressure. Losing even a few pounds may help lower your pressure.

  • Exercise more: Exercise is an excellent, inexpensive way to keep your blood pressure under control. The American Heart Association® recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity for adults, as well as 2 muscle-strengthening sessions per week.

  • Relax: Stress also plays a role in high blood pressure. Any activity that reduces stress, whether its exercise, yoga or reading a good book, will help you protect your heart and kidneys.

  • Stop smoking: Smoking may narrow your blood vessels, increasing your blood pressure. If youve been thinking about giving up smoking, nows the perfect time to stop. Learn about our Smoking Cessation Program.

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    Strengths And Limitations Of This Study

    • The first study that investigated the relation between dynamic blood pressure measurements and kidney function over time in participants aged 60years and older.

    • Large primary care study population representative of the population of Flanders with a long follow-up period.

    • Analyses in various age strata were performed in order to detect possibly different patterns due to age.

    • The presence of multimorbidity was included in the analyses.

    • Lack of mortality data, data on renal replacement therapy, insufficient data on proteinuria/albuminuria and no standardised measurements of creatinine and blood pressure.

    • The results are purely descriptive and were not adjusted for time-dependent changes in medication prescription and incident comorbidity.

    • Weaknesses inherent to a retrospective design and registry data: possible healthy survivor bias, no information about missing data and loss to follow-up.

    How Is Renal Hypertension Diagnosed

    How High Blood Pressure Affects Your Kidneys, Kidney Month

    It is important to see your healthcare provider regularly to make sure your blood pressure numbers are checked and are within the normal range. He or she may recommend blood tests.

    A healthcare provider can gather clues that vascular disease may be present by taking a thorough history and performing a physical exam. If you have a history of other vascular diseases, such as heart attacks or strokes, you are at higher risk for having renal artery stenosis. One exam, listening to the neck or belly with a stethoscope, may help identify narrowed arteries. When blood flows through a narrowed artery, it sometimes makes a whooshing sound, called a bruit.

    Healthcare providers may order one of the imaging tests below to look for narrowed kidney arteries. However, finding a narrowed kidney artery alone does not mean that your high blood pressure is due to renal hypertension. Many people have narrowing of kidney arteries without high blood pressure or with high blood pressure that is not caused by the narrowing . The healthcare provider will need to use other clinical clues to help determine if the two are connected.

    Imaging tests that can be done to see if the kidneys arteries have narrowed include:

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    Which Food Is Bad For Kidney

    17 Foods to Avoid or Limit If You Have Bad Kidneys Diet and kidney disease. Copyright: knape. Dark-colored soda. In addition to the calories and sugar that sodas provide, they harbor additives that contain phosphorus, especially dark-colored sodas. Avocados. Canned foods. Whole wheat bread. Brown rice. Bananas. Dairy.

    What Is Chronic Kidney Disease

    Chronic kidney disease is a group of disorders that affects the proper function of the kidneys due to the excessive damage caused to your kidneys, and there are various causes.

    Approximately 37 million adults in the US may have chronic kidney diseases, further increasing their risk of developing high blood pressure.

    Various factors increase your risk of kidney disease, including:

    • Age The older you are, the higher your risk of chronic kidney disease as it most commonly affects those over 65.

    • Family history Some patients are genetically predisposed to developing kidney disease if renal failure is shared among their family members.

    • Diabetes Patients with diabetes have an increased risk of developing kidney disease because their high blood glucose levels may damage kidney blood vessels.

    • Obesity Being overweight increases your risk of kidney disease.

    • Hypertension The higher your blood pressure, the higher the negative impact on kidney function.

    • Ethnicity Chronic kidney disease more commonly affects Black Americans and people of South Asian origin.

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    What Can We Do To Help Ourselves If We Have A Fatty Liver

    Well, #LiveYourValue.

    In other words, start small and begin to live your value one choice at a time. Focus on consuming a healthier diet, giving up the sodas and alcohol, and getting more exercise.

    There are several foods that can also be beneficial for improving liver health, and we will hear more about this from our in-house Functional Nutritional Therapist, Karey Thomas, FNTP. Stay tuned.

    Also: #LiveYourValue by wanting and working towards maintaining a Hemoglobin A1C of less than 6.5 if you have diabetes.

    And: If your cholesterol is elevated, work to lower it through diet and medication .

    Alternatively, there are some supplements that have been reported to help as well, such as increasing daily milk thistle, and dandelion. The Liver is our powerhouse and unlike other organs, if we make some healthier choices, the liver can regenerate back to full size even if we only have 25% of our original liver intact.

    Hopefully, this review of High Blood Pressure, Kidney Disease, and Fatty Liver has helped to not only educate but also inspire you to #LiveYourValue one choice at a time. Remember, this world would not be the same without you in it.

    What Are The Signs That Something Is Wrong With Your Kidneys

    Understanding High Blood Pressure And Kidney Failure

    Signs of Kidney Disease Youre more tired, have less energy or are having trouble concentrating. Youre having trouble sleeping. You have dry and itchy skin. You feel the need to urinate more often. You see blood in your urine. Your urine is foamy. Youre experiencing persistent puffiness around your eyes.

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    How Do You Know If Your Kidneys Are Functioning Properly

    What tests do doctors use to diagnose and monitor kidney disease? a blood test that checks how well your kidneys are filtering your blood, called GFR. GFR stands for glomerular filtration rate. a urine test to check for albumin. Albumin is a protein that can pass into the urine when the kidneys are damaged.

    What Are The Kidneys And What Do They Do

    Healthy kidneys filter about a half cup of blood every minute, removing wastes and extra water to make urine. The urine flows from each kidney to the bladder through a pair of thin tubes called ureters, one on each side of your bladder. Your bladder stores urine. Your kidneys, ureters, and bladder are part of your urinary tract system.

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    What Is High Blood Pressure

    Your heart pumps blood through tubes called your arteries and veins. This causes pressure inside of these tubes, which is called blood pressure. Checking your blood pressure tells you how hard your heart is working to pump your blood.

    Blood pressure that is too high means your heart is working too hard to pump your blood. This can harm your body, including your kidneys.

    What Would Happen To Your Blood Pressure If Your Kidneys Could Not Regulate The Production Of Renin

    High blood pressure

    reninblood pressure cannotininrenin productionnotblood pressureinreninhypertensionSigns and symptoms of acute kidney failure may include:

    • Fluid retention, causing swelling in your legs, ankles or feet.
    • Shortness of breath.

    Health conditions that can cause high blood pressure include:

    • kidney disease.
    • diabetes.
    • long-term kidney infections.
    • obstructive sleep apnoea ââ¬â where the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep, interrupting normal breathing.
    • glomerulonephritis ââ¬â damage to the tiny filters inside the kidneys.

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    What Is The Difference Between Nafld And Nash

    NAFLD: Fat build up in the liver. No inflammation. No liver cell damage.

    NASH: NASH is NAFLD plus inflammation and liver cell damage.

    Fatty liver tends to develop in people who are overweight or obese or have diabetes, high cholesterol, or high triglycerides.

    WHAT ARE SOME OTHER CAUSES OF A FATTY LIVER?

    • Nutritional: Starvation, Bariatric Surgery, Celiac Disease
    • Meds: Steroids, Tamoxifen, Amiodarone, Valproic Acid, Zidovudine, Didanosine
    • Other: Crohns

    How High Blood Pressure Causes Kidney Damage

    High blood pressure doesnt just increase your risk of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. It can also damage your kidneys.

    This limits their ability to filter waste and toxins, as well as balance the amount of fluids, hormones, sodium, and other minerals in your blood. Your heart and kidneys work together, which is why your blood pressure can affect both.

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    What Is Considered High Blood Pressure

    Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against blood vessel walls as the heart pumps it out, and high blood pressure is an increase in the amount of force that blood places on blood vessels as it moves through the body.

    Blood pressure test is composed of 2 parameters: 1 the systolic pressure which is measured when the heart contracts. It represents the pressure of the heart beating and pushing blood through the blood vessels 2 the diastolic pressure which represents the pressure of blood vessels relaxing between heartbeats.

    Table 1: Stages of high blood pressure in adults.

    Stages
    OR 100 or higher

    The ranges in the table are blood pressure guides for adults who do not have any serious short-term illnesses. People with diabetes or chronic kidney disease should keep their blood pressure below 130/80 mmHg.

    What Are The Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure And Kidney Disease

    Ask UNMC: High Blood Pressure Effects

    Most people with high blood pressure do not have symptoms. In rare cases, high blood pressure can cause headaches.

    Early CKD also may not have symptoms. As kidney disease gets worse, some people may have swelling, called edema. Edema happens when the kidneys cannot get rid of extra fluid and salt. Edema can occur in the legs, feet, ankles, orless oftenin the hands or face.

    Symptoms of advanced kidney disease can include

    • loss of appetite, nausea, or vomiting
    • drowsiness, feeling tired, or sleep problems
    • headaches or trouble concentrating
    • chest pain or shortness of breath

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    How Does High Blood Pressure Hurt My Kidneys

    High blood pressure makes your heart work harder and, over time, can damage blood vessels throughout your body. If the blood vessels in your kidneys are damaged, they may stop removing wastes and extra fluid from your body. The extra fluid in your blood vessels may then raise blood pressure even more. Its a dangerous cycle. High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of kidney failure, also commonly called end-stage renal disease . People with kidney failure must either receive a kidney transplant or go on dialysis. Every year, high blood pressure causes more than 25,000 new cases of kidney failure in the United States.

    How Does High Blood Pressure Cause Kidney Disease

    Uncontrolled high blood pressure puts an extra , and over time they can become narrower and stiffer. If the blood vessels leading to and within the kidneys are affected, not enough blood reaches the cells of the kidneys, so they dont get enough oxygen and nutrients, leading to scarring of the kidney tissue. This means the kidneys are less able to do their job.

    Because the kidney senses it needs more blood and oxygen, it produces hormones that drive the blood pressure even higher this can become a vicious cycle.

    What else causes kidney disease?A number of other things can cause kidney disease or raise your risk.

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