High blood pressure can damage the kidneys, and kidney damage can increase blood pressure.
Your blood pressure and kidneys can affect each other. Because kidney disease can raise blood pressure, the greatest risk for people with kidney disease is not actually kidney failure, but rather developing it.heart diseaseoAVC. Watching your blood pressure helps keep your kidneys healthy.
What is kidney disease?
The term kidney disease describes a group of problems in which the kidneys do not work as well as they should. You may also hear it as chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is usually mild, has no symptoms, and can be treated by you and your doctor, but it rarely becomes more advanced, leading to kidney failure and other serious health problems.
What are the kidneys doing?
Your kidneys play an important role in removing waste from your body and controlling your blood pressure. They act as filters for the blood, filtering out excess water, waste, and toxins and removing them from the body with urine (urine). When your kidneys are not working properly, fluid and waste can build up in your body.
The kidneys help control blood pressure by removing water and salt from the blood and by producing hormones involved in blood pressure control.
The kidneys also produce other hormones involved in maintaining healthy red blood cells and bones, and kidney disease can lead to anemia and bone disease.
How does high blood pressure cause kidney disease?
Uncontrolled high blood pressure is addedtension in the blood vessels, and over time they can become narrower and stiffer. When the blood vessels to the kidneys are affected, not enough blood reaches the kidney cells, so they don't get enough oxygen and nutrients, leading to scarring of the kidney tissue. This means that the kidneys are less able to do their job.
As the kidneys sense that they need more blood and oxygen, they produce hormones that further increase blood pressure; this can become a vicious circle.
What else causes kidney disease?
A number of other things can cause kidney disease or increase your risk.
- Diabetes.along with hypertension,DiabetesIt is one of the main causes of kidney disease. It can cause blood sugar to rise too high, putting pressure on the kidneys. Sugar in the blood also damages the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys, making them "leaky," especially to protein, which can leak into the urine.
- High cholesterol.This can cause aAccumulation of fat in the arteries, making them narrower and reducing the blood supply to the kidneys
- Smoke. Smoking increases blood pressure and accelerates the process of atherosclerosis
- to alterKidney disease becomes more common with age. About half of people over the age of 75 have age-related kidney damage. It usually remains mild or moderate unless another kidney problem develops, such as diabetic kidney disease.
- Other kidney problems. For example, kidney infections and polycystic kidney disease.
- Family history of kidney disease.Your risk is higher if a family member had advanced kidney disease
- Being of African, Afro-Caribbean, or South Asian descent. Kidney disease is more common in these ethnic groups
What are the signs and symptoms of kidney disease?
Like high blood pressure, early or mild kidney disease often has no signs or symptoms, so you may not know you have it. It is often detected by a blood test carried out by your GP or hospital (see below). As kidney disease progresses, you may present with a variety of signs and symptoms, including:
- Changes in your urine, including changes in color and smell, how often you urinate, and how much fluid you pass
- swelling in the legs, hands, or face
- fatigue
- I don't feel well
- Appetitverlust
- nausea and vomiting (vomiting)
- persistent site
- dry and itchy skin
- weightloss
- shortness of breath
- Muscle cramps and paleness from anemia.
See your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms, especially if they persist.
How is kidney disease diagnosed?
Blood and urine tests can show if your kidneys are not working properly. If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure or another condition that causes kidney disease, you may be offered tests to detect kidney disease early:
- a urine test: to look for protein or blood in the urine
- a blood test - to measure how much fluid your kidneys can filter in a minute - this is your GFR, or glomerular filtration rate. A low GFR means that your kidneys are not working properly.
If these tests show signs of kidney damage, you may have other tests to see where and how much damage is present. For example, an ultrasound to get a picture of your kidneys or a biopsy, which takes a small sample and looks at it under a microscope.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is divided into stages 1-5, with stage 5 being the most advanced. Stage 3 CKD is considered a moderate disease and this is where your doctor will want to monitor you more closely. Whether or not you have protein in your urine is also important, especially if you also have diabetes.
How is kidney disease treated?
Treatments depend on the cause of your kidney disease and how mild or advanced your kidney disease is. Mild kidney disease can be treated by you and your GP. Treatments are often aimed at preventing it from getting worse and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The most important thing is to keep your blood pressure under control. Your doctor will want to make sure it is below 140/90 mmHg, and in some cases even below 130/80 mmHg.
Changes in your diet and lifestyle
Ahealthy life stylehelps maintain blood pressure and kidneys healthy. For example, quit smoking, stay active, drink less alcohol, eat healthy, and limit your salt intake.
If your kidney disease is more advanced, your doctor may recommend that you follow a special diet that reduces the amount of waste your body makes, which means your kidneys don't have to do as much work.
Do not use salt substitutes like Lo-Salt or SALTernative if you have kidney disease. They are rich in potassium, and when the kidneys are not working properly, potassium can build up, leading to more problems.
medicine
You may need medicines to control your blood pressure, including ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers. These can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke and help prevent kidney damage. You may also need medicines called statins.high cholesterol, insulin forDiabetesand medicines to prevent blood clots.
Dialysis
If your kidney disease is advanced, you may need dialysis. This is a procedure that performs many of the functions of the kidneys, including removing waste from the blood.
kidney transplant
This is sometimes necessary in advanced kidney disease, but can only be done in those who are fit enough for surgery.
How can I reduce my risk of kidney disease?
Changes you can make to yourLifestyleLowering your blood pressure helps reduce your risk of kidney disease, such as B. Eat a healthy diet, stay active, quit smoking, and maintain a healthy weight. Specifically, try to eat less than 6 g.Salone day.
It's also important to make sure that any health problems you already have are under control, includingDiabetes.
With you you can have an idea of the health of your kidneysthis online quiz. Once you find out if you have or are at risk for kidney disease, there are steps you can take to prevent it or keep it from getting worse.
You can also find out if you are at risk for diabetes, use thisproof, see your GP or get aNHS health check.
keep reading
Our curator Dr. Rebecca Suckling specializes in nephrology, caring for people with kidney disease. She explains more about how the kidneys and blood pressure are related.Positive Pressure Winter 2017 Edition.
Information and support for people with kidney disease, including a counseling service, online community and financial support.
Kidney care in the UK. Information and support for people with kidney disease, including a counseling service, online community and financial support.
UK Kidney Research. Information on kidney diseases.
NKF. Kidneypatients UK is run by Kidneypatients for Kidneypatients, its information includes stories from other patients.