High blood pressure affects almost all parts of the body. High blood pressure, or hypertension, can also lead to kidney disease if left untreated.
What Is High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure causes the arteries in the body to narrow, making the heart work harder in order to pump blood through the arteries and contributing to the development of clots. The increased strain on the heart wears it down sooner than normal and contributes to coronary heart disease, in which plaque builds up on the walls of the arteries, causing them to narrow. Once the arteries are narrowed, the flow of blood to the heart decreases and encourages the formation of clots within the arteries. These clots block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart. The flow of blood throughout the entire body is also decreased, including to the kidneys.
How Does High Blood Pressure Affect My Kidneys?
High blood pressure is responsible for more than 25,000 cases of kidney disease each year. Because high blood pressure puts added strain on the blood vessels, eventually blood vessels become damaged. The damaged blood vessels in the kidneys make it so they are unable to effectively remove waste and excess fluid from the body. The excess fluid in turn raises the blood pressure to even higher levels.
High blood pressure is the main cause of kidney disease and failure in the United States. When kidney disease or failure occurs, it is not possible to just take a pill and be cured – the patient must either receive a kidney transplant or go on dialysis, which is an artificial means of performing the functions of the kidneys.
What Are the Symptoms of High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure is often called “the silent killer” because rarely does it present any symptoms. High blood pressure is detected via a blood pressure test. You can have this done by your doctor. A normal blood pressure reading is under 120/80; anything over 120/80 and under 140/90 puts a person in a pre-hypertension, or risk, category; and a reading of reading is 140/90 or above is considered high blood pressure.
What Are the Symptoms of Kidney Disease?
Like high blood pressure, kidney failure is often difficult to detect as its symptoms are often unnoticeable, although some patients will experience severe bloating, as kidney failure causes people to retain water.
Kidney disease is detected via a series of tests performed by the doctor. The tests will trace levels of protein and ceatinine in the blood and urine, as well as check to see if the kidneys are properly removing wastes from the body.
What You Can Do To Prevent High Blood Pressure
If you suspect you have high blood pressure or are unsure, have your doctor test you. From there he will determine the best course of action to take. If you do not have high blood pressure, you can prevent its occurrence through simple lifestyle modifications. These include:
Diet. Eating a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, protein, and whole grains can reduce the likelihood of developing high blood pressure.
Exercise. Regular exercise can not only help maintain a healthy weight, but also curb the onslaught of high blood pressure and other factors that lead to heart disease.
Smoking. The link between smoking and high blood pressure is indisputable – chemicals in nicotine affect not only blood pressure, but kidney function as well.
Alcohol consumption. A high level of alcohol consumption has been linked to heart disease and high blood pressure. Aim for no more than two drinks a day as an absolute maximum.
Your chances of developing kidney disease will be greatly reduced if you can minimize your risks of high blood pressure.