How High Blood Pressure Affects Kidney Function

Blood pressure is a measure of how hard the heart is working to pump blood all over the body. A high value means your heart may be struggling while a low value may be dangerous for you in the long run. The ideal values range from below 120/80 mm Hg. Slightly higher values mean you have elevated blood pressure while very high values can mean a hypertensive crisis. High blood pressure has often been termed a silent killer as symptoms don’t show up that easily. This is especially true for the kidneys as your body will try to compensate with the healthier kidney taking on more of the workload.

Connection Between High Blood Pressure And Kidney Damage

High blood pressure is a systemic issue alright, but when it affects the kidneys, it is termed renal hypertension. When pressure is high, the arteries in your kidney get damaged. Now, you should know this fundamental fact- the kidney is responsible for filtering your blood every day with highly specialised filtration units called glomeruli. One of the measurable outputs for ascertaining this component of kidney function is to check how much urine is being produced. Add the damage to the arteries and what do you get? Compromised kidney function obviously, with far reaching effects.

Signs Of Kidney Problems Caused By High Blood Pressure

Now that we know high blood pressure can cause kidney damage, let us look at the signs that can prompt you to get immediate medical help-

• You may notice changes in appetite
• You may feel way more tired than usual
• You may feel very nauseous or want to puke
• Your limbs or body extremities (like face, hands) may swell up due to fluid retention
• High blood pressure can be caused due to kidney disease too, so it is a vicious cycle!
• You may be peeing very often at first, but after a while you will notice a drastic reduction in the number of bathroom visits as kidney function continues to plummet without treatment
• You may have foamy looking urine 
• You may not be able to sleep well
• You will notice skin issues like itchy and dry or dark looking skin
• Poor kidney function can affect cardiac performance too.

Managing High Blood Pressure To Protect Kidney Function

High blood pressure like diabetes, is a lifestyle disease and hence making decent changes to your lifestyle that you will continue to implement everyday is a good thing to live by. We have listed out the top areas you must focus on-

• A balanced diet with low salt, high fibre and proper amounts of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and fats must be a top priority. Sure, you may feel lazy some days, but don’t commit to junk food just because it is easier to deal with.
• Physical activity of some form and doing it regularly- that is great! It will help you retain cardiovascular health and also you won’t need to buy new clothes just because you don’t fit into them anymore, right?
• Stop smoking and drinking alcohol. If you need help on that front, get it ASAP! No judgement, whatsoever!
• You love your coffee or tea- we know, because caffeine is life. But limiting caffeine intake is good for your kidneys and heart too.
• Active stress management needs to be on your daily agenda- look for ways to destress effectively.

Conclusion

The preventive measures to deal with renal hypertension are actually the same for dealing with high blood pressure, diabetes and any other lifestyle disease actually. This also means that a sedentary lifestyle can not just cause one issue, but multiple ones and these may in turn become a vicious circle of bad health that you can’t seem to get out of. If you don’t treat high blood pressure at the right time in the right way, then you may have to deal with kidney disease and complete loss of kidney function which will require extreme modes of treatment – like dialysis or a kidney transplant. India has very high levels of renal hypertension- almost 50% of people who have diabetes and high blood pressure suffer from renal issues of some or the other form and severity. This alarming statistic will only continue to increase, unless you decide to take measures to prioritise your health first! So, get right to it and don’t feel shy to ask for some much needed help along the way.