High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease

Blood pressure measures the force of blood against the walls of your blood vessels. Blood pressure that remains high over time is called hypertension. Extra fluid in your body increases the amount of fluid in your blood vessels and makes your blood pressure higher. Narrow or clogged blood vessels also raise your blood pressure.
High blood pressure makes your heart work harder and, over time, can damage blood vessels throughout your body. If the blood vessels in your kidneys are damaged, they may stop removing wastes and extra fluid from your body. The extra fluid in your blood vessels may then raise blood pressure even more. It's a dangerous cycle.
High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of kidney failure, also commonly called end-stage renal disease (ESRD). People with kidney failure must either receive a kidney transplant or go on dialysis. Every year, high blood pressure causes more than 25,000 new cases of kidney failure in the United States.
Every year, high blood pressure causes more than 25,000 new cases of kidney failure in the United States.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is present when the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is below 60 milliliters per minute (mL/min).
More than 30 milligrams of albumin per gram of creatinine in a urine sample is another sign of CKD.
People with CKD should try to keep their blood pressure below 130/80.
Two groups of medicines called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) lower blood pressure and have an added protective effect on the kidneys.
African Americans are six times more likely than Caucasians to develop hypertension-related kidney failure.
Early management of high blood pressure is especially important for African Americans with diabetes.