Kidney Disease and High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a leading cause of kidney disease and kidney failure (end-stage renal disease).

Hypertension can cause damage to the blood vessels and filters in the kidney, making removal of waste from the body difficult. Once a person is diagnosed with end-stage renal disease, dialysis -- a blood-cleansing process -- or kidney transplantation are necessary.

Kidney disease is a term that describes any problems you may have when your kidneys are not working as well as they should. Your kidneys help to filter your blood to remove unwanted waste products. Depending on how severe it is, the effects of kidney disease can be minor. But if you do not take steps to control it, it can cause serious health problems.

How healthy your kidneys are can affect your blood pressure, and vice versa. This means that if you have high blood pressure, then you are more likely to have kidney disease. Likewise, if you have kidney disease, this can sometimes cause high blood pressure.

The biggest health risk for people with kidney disease is not actually kidney failure. People with kidney disease are much more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke. So if you have kidney disease you need to keep your heart and blood vessels healthy. Controlling your blood pressure is a very important way to do this.