Hypertension and the kidney

Kidneys are some of the most vital parts of the body as they removes toxic and waste material from the body. Good functioning of the kidneys is vital for the body to be healthy. Hypertension is one of the conditions which can damage the kidney and result in kidney failure. Blood pressure is the resistance offered to flow of blood in the blood vessels. It is considered to be high if it is more than 130/80 millimeter of mercury. In case of hypertension, blood flows with greater pressure through the blood vessels. Over some time the blood vessels start getting damaged. As for other parts of the body, the vessels of the kidneys also get damaged due to long standing high blood pressure. This deranges the kidney function. Impaired functioning of the kidney raises the blood pressure again. Thus a vicious cycle is created which further impairs the functioning of the kidneys. Ultimately kidney failure sets in. Diseases occurring primarily in the kidneys also cause hypertension, which is technically known as secondary hypertension. This is the main cause of hypertension in children and young adults. Renal failure due to hypertension is a major cause of sickness and death in developed countries. Due to the increased life span of people and better medical facilities, a greater number of people in underdeveloped countries are also being detected as having renal failure due to hypertension. Infectious diseases affecting kidneys or kidney damage occurring as a continuation to infections is also a cause of hypertension in young adults in developing countries. Thus it can be seen that hypertension and kidney problems are closely linked to one another. Kidney damage is further aggravated if diabetes is present in addition to hypertension in the individual. Early renal failure like hypertension usually passes unnoticed and may be detected only while doing routine laboratory tests. As the disease progresses, the quantity of urine passed reduces. This is also not noticed usually, till it becomes severe. In later stages one develops swelling over the face, anemia, vomiting, weakness and reduction in the quantity of urine passed. Chronic renal failure is diagnosed by specific laboratory tests like measuring blood urea, creatinine levels, urinary proteins, glomerular filtration rates, e.t.c. Once the kidneys are damaged, it becomes a point of no return. The drugs which are prescribed are only for controlling the vomiting, weakness, hypertension, e.t.c., manifestations of disturbed renal function. But the damage incurred to the kidneys is never reversed; it is only prevented from progressing. Dialysis is used to remove the toxins from the body but it has lot of adverse effects and is painful. Ultimate treatment lies in renal transplant, i.e. replacing the diseased kidney by a healthy one. This is a cumbersome and expensive procedure. Moreover, one has to find a kidney which matches very well with the tissue typing of the person needing it. Mostly it is a blood relative who is suitable for donation of a kidney. Even after that, there is risk of rejection of the grafted kidney. To prevent that, long term immune suppressive drugs are used which further weaken a person. One can understand very well from this that, to avoid damage to the kidneys, it is important to keep the blood pressure very well controlled. This is possible through life style measures like reduction of body weight, low fat and salt diet, regular physical exercise and mental relaxation. Avoidance of alcohol is very useful in preventing hypertension and its related problems like kidney diseases. Good compliance with drugs for hypertension and diabetes is mandatory to keep these conditions under control. Those suffering from hypertension should get tests for kidney function done every 6 months. Thus any damage to the kidneys can be detected at the earliest and prevented from progressing. Those suffering from kidney diseases also need to adhere to medicines and prescribed drugs. This will ensure that hypertension remains controlled and further kidney damage is avoided. A person can have a good quality of life, in spite of having hypertension if he keeps the blood pressure controlled and avoids kidney damage. rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk