High Blood Pressure and Kidney Failure

Management of high blood pressure is important for people suffering from kidney failure. Heart failure as a leading death cause of renal failure can occur because of long-term of poorly controlled blood pressure. Our kidneys play an important role in keeping blood pressure within healthy range, so it is common people with chronic kidney failure have hypertension. Targeted blood pressure controlling, thereby, should be practiced with care for kidney failure patients.

High blood pressure is an independent risk factor for kidney disease. Blood pressure measures the force of blood against the walls of the blood vessels. Hypertension can result from too much fluid in normal blood vessels or form normal fluid in normal, stiff or clogged blood vessels. High blood pressure makes the heart work harder, and over time, can damage blood vessels throughout the body. If the kidneys are damaged, they may stop discharging excess fluid and wastes from bloodstream. Too much fluid, on the other way, will further raise your blood pressure. This forms a vicious cycle, and poorly controlled blood pressure will make people develop to kidney failure faster.

More seriously, hypertension can damage blood vessels in heart, brain, eyes, etc. In kidney failure, the accumulated toxins also damage multiple body systems. Anemia, which occurs because the diseased kidneys don’t produce enough a hormone that regulate red blood cell production, means your body doesn’t get the right amount of oxygen, and can increase risk of having a heart attack, ventricular hypertrophy and earlier death. The management of high blood pressure, as well as anemia, swelling and heavy wastes, is important to improve long-term survival rate in kidney failure patients.

Several lifestyle changes and proper medications help to keep your blood pressure within normal range. Maintain your weight close to normal, eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and limit your intake of sodium to 2,000 milligrams. Avoid consuming alcohol and do moderate exercises. ACEI, ARB and beta blockers and calcium channel blockers are the anti-hypertensive medicines. People who find their blood pressure uncontrollable should consult a doctor for proper medications. Communicate with your doctor for a suitable management plan to control your BP and other lab indexes at normal range. Any help needed, you may email us directly.