Kidney failure in people with high blood pressure: Things to pay attention to

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy - Endocrinologist - Dialysis - Kidney Transplant - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital. The doctor has more than 15 years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of medical kidney disease, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, pre-transplant screening and post-transplant follow-up.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) causes kidney failure and conversely, kidney failure causes high blood pressure. The problem is to control blood pressure to avoid kidney failure. At the same time, it is necessary to treat kidney failure well to limit hypertension.

1. Why does kidney failure lead to high blood pressure?

Kidneys play an important role in stabilizing blood pressure in the body. When the kidneys are impaired, their ability to regulate blood pressure is also affected, causing blood pressure to rise. The more severe the kidney failure, the greater the risk of developing high blood pressure. It can be said that hypertension is a complication of chronic kidney failure.
Besides, long-term high blood pressure can lead to bad health effects, including the kidneys. High blood pressure causes blood vessels in the body to be damaged and gradually destroyed, causing the kidneys and other organs not to receive the necessary amount of blood to maintain functioning.

On the other hand, high blood pressure causes the filter in the glomeruli to be destroyed, making it impossible for the kidneys to remove waste and excess from the body. Excess water and toxic substances remain in the vascular system for a long time, causing blood pressure to increase. This process takes place continuously gradually leading to chronic kidney failure.
Patients with chronic kidney failure have very dangerous high blood pressure, making the disease more complicated. In this case, the patient should absolutely follow the doctor's instructions and treatment indications to control blood pressure, reduce kidney damage and prevent diseases caused by hypertension.

2. What to do to prevent and treat kidney failure

If the patient has high blood pressure, the risk of kidney failure is very high. As soon as hypertension is diagnosed, the patient should have more tests to evaluate kidney function and damage to other organs.
In addition, the patient needs to follow the treatment regimen of the doctor. During home treatment, patients need to self-monitor their blood pressure by measuring blood pressure continuously and recording it in a monitoring book. If you notice abnormal blood pressure, immediately notify your doctor. In addition, patients need to have regular check-ups, assess kidney function, perform early renal failure screening tests...
To prevent and treat kidney failure in hypertensive patients, lifestyle changes should be made. live scientifically. Patients need to increase physical activity, exercise regularly, control weight. In particular, it is necessary to follow a reasonable diet, increase green vegetables, fruits and vegetables, low-fat foods, dairy products, lean meat...
Limit processed foods, fried foods high in saturated fat. The effectiveness of a diet to eliminate hypertension can reduce systolic blood pressure roughly equivalent to that of single antihypertensive drug therapy.
In addition, the patient needs to reduce the amount of salt and alcoholic beverages. Eating bland will help lower blood pressure.

3. Treating patients with both kidney failure and hypertension

For patients with both kidney failure and hypertension, the goal of treatment is to control blood pressure and reduce kidney damage, while limiting the risk of cardiovascular disease. Blood pressure should be below 130/80 mmHg.
To do this, patients need to strictly follow the treatment regimen, follow a healthy diet and lifestyle mentioned above. Diet and lifestyle changes are tailored to each stage of kidney disease. People with kidney failure stage 1 - 2 should eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, dairy. People with kidney failure stage 2 - 3 should eat light and limit fat to not increase the risk of heart disease. People with kidney failure stage 3 - 4 should limit foods high in phosphorus, control daily protein intake to limit bone diseases. Absolutely abstain from alcohol, tobacco, stimulants. Do not arbitrarily quit smoking, take the right dose and follow the regular check-up schedule.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.