The effects of high blood pressure can damage your kidneys, leading to chronic kidney disease and potentially kidney failure. Managing high blood pressure can prevent kidney disease.
Your blood pressure is the force your blood exerts on the walls of your blood vessels as it flows through your body. If this pressure is consistently higher than normal, you have high blood pressure (hypertension).
High blood pressure is very common. The American Heart Association (AHA) estimates that
When it’s not well managed, high blood pressure can cause health problems, including kidney damage. This can lead to chronic kidney disease (CKD), a condition that affects an estimated
Other diseases that affect the kidneys can also cause raised blood pressure and require evaluation and treatment by a healthcare professional, such as a nephrologist. These can include:
- polycystic kidney disease
- glomerulonephritis
- nephrotic syndrome
Keep reading to learn more about the link between high blood pressure and kidney health.
Your kidneys filter waste and excess fluids from your blood. The filtered substances and fluids then exit your body as urine. A healthy kidney filters
Blood that needs to be filtered flows into your kidneys via arteries until it reaches the nephrons, the filtering units of your kidneys. Filtered blood leaves your kidneys through the veins.
If you have high blood pressure, the increased force of blood on the artery walls damages your arteries over time. Arteries throughout your body can become weak, narrow, or stiff, which can reduce blood flow to your kidneys.
When the nephrons aren’t getting enough blood, they cannot do their filtering job properly. This means the nephrons have trouble effectively removing waste and fluid from your blood.
As excess fluid builds up in your blood vessels, it can further boost your blood pressure. This causes more damage to blood vessels in your kidneys. It can eventually lead to CKD and potentially kidney failure.
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It can be hard to tell whether high blood pressure is affecting your kidneys unless you have tests at a doctor’s office. That’s because both high blood pressure and early stage CKD typically don’t cause any symptoms.
One early symptom of a possible problem with your kidneys is edema, which is swelling due to excess fluid that builds up because your kidneys are having trouble removing it. This swelling typically happens in your legs, ankles, or feet, and sometimes in your face or hands.
Other possible symptoms of kidney problems include:
- fatigue
- weakness
- more or less urination than usual
- headache
- dry, itchy skin
- muscle cramping
- nausea or vomiting
- shortness of breath
- chest pain
- loss of appetite
- unintended weight loss
- trouble sleeping
- difficulty concentrating
- blood in urine
If you have symptoms of kidney disease, make an appointment with a doctor. They can do tests to assess your kidney function and can evaluate your blood pressure to see whether it’s too high.
When is blood pressure too high?
A blood pressure reading has two numbers: systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. The systolic (upper) number is your blood pressure when your heart beats. The diastolic (lower) number is your blood pressure between beats.
The
Elevated blood pressure is a systolic blood pressure of 120 to 129 mm Hg and a diastolic blood pressure of less than 80 mm Hg. You have high blood pressure if your blood pressure readings are regularly above this range.
Once kidney damage has happened, it’s typically
For this reason, if you’ve received diagnoses of high blood pressure and CKD, it’s important to stick to your treatment plan, including any prescribed medications and recommended lifestyle changes.
If you have high blood pressure, you can lower your risk of kidney disease by working closely with your doctor to manage it. This involves aiming to keep your blood pressure within a target range, which varies from person to person.
Your doctor may also prescribe blood pressure medications to help you reach and maintain this target blood pressure range. Be sure to take these medications as directed by your doctor.
CKD and high blood pressure
It’s estimated that
The optimal blood pressure range for people with CKD and high blood pressure isn’t well defined. However, researchers in a
You can also take other steps in your everyday life to help lower your blood pressure, including:
- engaging in regular physical activity
- following a heart-healthy diet, such as the DASH diet
- lowering your salt intake
- quitting smoking, if you smoke
- reducing or stopping alcohol use
- finding effective ways to reduce your stress levels
- managing your weight, if necessary
- monitoring your blood pressure at home and talking with a doctor if your readings are consistently outside your target range
Regardless of whether you have high blood pressure, it’s always important to help protect the health of your kidneys. You can do so in the following ways:
- drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated
- eating a balanced diet that focuses on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low fat or no-fat dairy, like the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet
- reducing your salt intake to
1500 mg/day if you have hypertension - incorporating exercise into your daily routine on most days of the week
- taking steps to manage your weight if you are overweight or have obesity
- avoiding smoking, or quitting smoking if you smoke
- taking caution with over-the-counter drugs that can damage your kidneys, particularly nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve)
- addressing other preexisting health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, if necessary
- working with your doctor to monitor your kidney health if you’re at risk for kidney disease
High blood pressure that’s not well managed can gradually damage your kidneys. Over time, this can lead to CKD and potentially kidney failure.
While you can’t reverse kidney damage caused by high blood pressure, you may be able to slow it down by managing your blood pressure. This typically involves medications and lifestyle strategies.
Both high blood pressure and early stage CKD are often asymptomatic. That’s why it’s important to get a physical each year. A primary care or internal medicine doctor can evaluate your blood pressure and kidney health and recommend treatment, if necessary.