About 36 million Americans have chronic kidney disease (CKD), a serious, chronic condition that happens when your kidneys no longer function the way they’re supposed to. Lots of factors can lead to CKD or contribute to its progression, including unmanaged high blood pressure — another common chronic health condition that affects about half the adult population in the United States.
CKD causes few or no symptoms in its early stages, even though it can still cause permanent kidney damage. Likewise, high blood pressure causes no symptoms, either, making regular monitoring essential, especially if you’ve been diagnosed with CKD or you’re at risk for the disease.
In recognition of High Blood Pressure Education Month, the team at Houston Kidney Specialists Center is dedicating this post to a better understanding of the unique relationships between hypertension and chronic kidney disease, so you can take critical steps to protect your kidneys and overall health.
Your kidneys keep you healthy by filtering your blood, removing excess fluids and waste products while returning “clean” blood back to circulation. At the same time, your kidneys maintain optimal levels of electrolytes while helping manage your blood pressure.
The filtration system is surprisingly simple, made up of an extensive network of tiny blood vessels called glomeruli that work 24 hours a day to remove waste and excess fluid so they can be excreted through your urine.
When your blood pressure is higher than it should be, it can damage those tiny vessels, impairing the filtration process while causing glomeruli to thicken and stiffen, which can lead to permanent damage that’s the hallmark of CKD.
At the same time, high blood pressure affects the larger vessels that supply your kidneys with nutrient-rich blood, taking a toll on overall kidney health. Because your kidneys help maintain normal blood pressure, even mild kidney damage further increases your risk of hypertension, creating a cycle that's difficult to manage or “undo.”
Since high blood pressure can damage kidneys — even without you knowing it — it makes sense that blood pressure management is essential for protecting your kidneys, especially if you already have CKD. Although you can’t reverse kidney damage, keeping your blood pressure within a normal range lowers the pressure inside your kidneys, promoting better kidney health, while slowing the decline in kidney function.
In fact, most CKD management plans include specific steps to help manage blood pressure and maintain it at a lower level. Keeping hypertension at bay lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, as well, a major concern for people with kidney issues.
For most people with CKD, blood pressure management involves a combination of medication and lifestyle changes. While medications help lower blood pressure or protect your kidneys in other ways, lifestyle changes focus on improving kidney health and overall wellness.
For most people, lifestyle changes include steps like:
Learning to manage stress and prioritizing healthy sleep habits are important, too.
If you have CKD, it’s important to follow your treatment plan and keep up with regular check-ins with our team. During your visits, we monitor your kidney health and function so we can adjust your plan as your needs change.
To learn more about blood pressure management and other steps you can take to protect your kidneys, request an appointment online or over the phone at our practice locations in Cypress and Houston, Texas, today.
