High BP can damage your kidneys

You know high blood pressure or hypertension is the prime cause of cardiovascular problems like heart attack and stroke. But, did you know that it could damage your kidneys beyond repair as well? 

‘Hypertension is known to be a silent killer and its symptoms develop when the damages are already done to your body.  It is an important cause of chronic kidney disease. In some patients it can be difficult to determine which came first,’ says Dr Jyotsna Zope, Consultant Nephrologist, Mukta Dialysis Centre and Bhakti Vedant Hospital, Mumbai. 

Here is how high blood pressure can affect your kidneys:

It damages the blood vessels of the kidneys: Hypertension makes the heart work harder pumping excess blood through the arteries and veins. Over a period, it becomes too much for the delicate blood vessels to tolerate the pressure, and they get damaged including the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys. The result is fluid accumulation in the body which further increases blood pressure. This is a prime cause of end-stage renal failure due to uncontrolled hypertension.

It interferes with the elimination of waste from the body: Once the blood vessels of the kidneys get damaged, elimination of wastes and extra fluids becomes difficult. 

It can lead to kidney scarring: High blood pressure leads to scarring of the glomeruli, the tiny cluster of blood vessels in the kidneys. Once these blood vessels are damaged, the kidneys will be unable to eliminate wastes effectively. Another concern is that it could lead to permanent kidney failure and kidney artery aneurysm that weakens the artery walls. 

What you should know:

• Chronic kidney disease is emerging as a global disease. One of the reasons is the rapidly increasing worldwide incidence of diabetes and hypertension.

• Current estimates show that about 33% urban and 25% rural Indians are hypertensive. Of these, 25% rural and 38% of urban Indians are being treated for hypertension.

• Having diabetes besides high blood pressure can worsen the damage.

• Reports reveal that every year high blood pressure causes more than 25,000 new cases of kidney failure worldwide.  Are you at risk of kidney disease? 

• Early intervention may retard the progression of kidney disease. Planning for preventive health policies and allocation of more resources is imperative for India to treat chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. 

• People suffering from hypertension and diabetes patients need special care with kidney damage. It is possible that early detection of kidney disease through community-based screening programs might have an impact on this problem through early intervention.

• If your kidneys are damaged, you should control your blood pressure. An end-stage kidney disease, kidney failure or scarring could put you in a situation where a kidney transplant might become necessary else you might have to undergo life-long dialysis.