{"id":1141,"date":"2022-11-08T13:34:01","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T13:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/health.theemtspot.com\/?p=1141"},"modified":"2026-04-11T19:54:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T19:54:24","slug":"high-blood-pressure-can-lead-to-kidney-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/high-blood-pressure-can-lead-to-kidney-damage\/","title":{"rendered":"High Blood Pressure Can Lead to Kidney Damage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-larger-font-size\"><strong>Quick Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul  class=\"is-style-connected has-list-bullet-color wp-block-list\">\n<li>There is a well-documented connection between high blood pressure and kidney damage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blood vessels play a pivotal role. However, symptoms of both conditions can often go unnoticed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With medication and adapting your lifestyle, you can prevent kidney disease caused by hypertension.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Most people don&#8217;t consider that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/blood-pressure\/hypertension\/\" class=\"ek-link\">high blood pressure<\/a> can lead to kidney damage until they have <strong>hypertension or chronic renal disease<\/strong>. Nonetheless, the link has been <em>extensively studied.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer can be found in <strong>blood vessels<\/strong>. High blood pressure can harden or narrow arteries and veins around the kidneys, compromising blood supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Studies suggest that in the USA, <strong>every second adult has a blood pressure disorder<\/strong>. Similarly, <strong>more than 1 in 7 individuals develop kidney conditions<\/strong>, demonstrating an <em>overlap<\/em> between the ailments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article examines the <em>causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and management<\/em> of kidney disease concerning high blood pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">How Can High Blood Pressure Damage Kidneys?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Kidney damage and high blood pressure can be <strong>caused by one another<\/strong>. However, the fact is <em>hypertension and diabetes<\/em> are the leading causes of <strong>kidney failure<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>High blood pressure causes <strong>vascular constriction<\/strong>. In the long run, this leads to organ damage due to <em>weakened or damaged vessels<\/em> throughout your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Damage to kidney vessels impairs the organ\u2019s ability to <strong>filter blood<\/strong> and perform other vital functions. This includes <em>removing toxins and waste in your system.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>additional fluids<\/strong> in your blood can further elevate high blood pressure. If left uncontrolled, this can cause <strong>kidneys to stop working entirely<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Symptoms of Kidney Damage and Hypertension<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Early stages of kidney disease<\/strong> may be symptom-free, like hypertension. However, swelling (edema), nausea, loss of appetite, urination difficulty, and an inability to concentrate are <em>vital indicators<\/em> of renal problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patients may require <em>dialysis or a kidney transplant<\/em> if an end-stage diagnosis is made. Symptoms include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul  class=\"has-list-bullet-color wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nausea or vomiting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Appetite and weight loss<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fatigue<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Muscle cramping<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dry, numb, or darkened skin<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Changes in urination frequency<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Headaches<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Difficulty breathing or chest pain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">The Expert Diagnosis<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Consistent pressure over <strong>130\/80<\/strong> means hypertension according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/blood-pressure\/chart\/\" class=\"ek-link\">blood pressure charts<\/a>. However, like high blood pressure, <em>kidney damage usually goes undetected<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rate at which waste is eliminated from the body reflects kidney function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To determine kidney health, your doctor will conduct <strong>blood tests<\/strong> for <em>urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and glomerular filtration rate<\/em>. Kidney disease can also <em>elevate protein levels<\/em> like albumin in the urine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prevention and treatment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lifestyle (including dietary) modifications<\/strong> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/blood-pressure\/supplements\/\" class=\"ek-link\"><strong>addition of supplements<\/strong> to lower blood pressure<\/a> are the first line of defense to prevent and treat both diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to <em>exercise, quitting smoking, managing weight, and mental health care<\/em>, certain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/blood-pressure\/medications\/\" class=\"ek-link\">prescription medications<\/a> are aimed at people risking kidney damage. Simply put, there are many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/blood-pressure\/how-to-lower\/\" class=\"ek-link\">effective ways to lower and maintain hypertension<\/a> that reduce this risk significantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Treatment options include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ACE Inhibitors<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduce enzyme production to prevent vascular constriction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ARBs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Prevent binding of angiotensin and receptors that constrict vessels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Beta-Blockers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Reduce heart rate, blood flow, and hormones that cause hypertension.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Diuretics<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Also known as water pills, this medication encourages the removal of excess sodium and waste fluids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alpha-2 Agonists<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Relaxes nerve impulses to relax blood vessels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A potential outcome of hypertension is damage to blood vessels and organs such as the kidneys. In addition, a delay in receiving treatment increases the risk of waste fluid build-up, which elevates the chance of complications and, ultimately, renal failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your doctor has diagnosed you with hypertension, you might be recommended adaptations to your lifestyle and medications. It\u2019s vital to take prescription drugs as indicated and attend follow-ups as scheduled to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/blood-pressure\/how-to-take\/\" class=\"ek-link\">check blood pressure<\/a>.<\/p>\n\r\n\t\t\t<div id=\"daexthefu-container\"\r\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"daexthefu-container daexthefu-layout-side-by-side daexthefu-alignment-left\"\r\n\t\t\t\tdata-post-id=\"1141\">\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-feedback\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-text\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"daexthefu-title\">Was this helpful?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-buttons-container\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-buttons\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-yes daexthefu-button daexthefu-button-type-text\" data-value=\"1\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-button-text\">Yes<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-no daexthefu-button daexthefu-button-type-text\" data-value=\"0\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-button-text\">No<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-comment\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-comment-top-container\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<label id=\"daexthefu-comment-label\" class=\"daexthefu-comment-label\"><\/label>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-comment-character-counter-container\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"daexthefu-comment-character-counter-number\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"daexthefu-comment-character-counter-number\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-comment-character-counter-text\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<textarea id=\"daexthefu-comment-textarea\" class=\"daexthefu-comment-textarea\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplaceholder=\"Type your message\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmaxlength=\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t400\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"><\/textarea>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-comment-buttons-container\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"daexthefu-comment-submit daexthefu-button\">Submit<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"daexthefu-comment-cancel daexthefu-button\">Cancel<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-successful-submission-text\">Thanks for your feedback!<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kidney damage is a common cause and result of high blood pressure. Discover how the diseases are linked and how to treat them simultaneously.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_helpful_status":1,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blood-pressure"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1141"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":538623,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1141\/revisions\/538623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}