When blood pressure is high, it increases the force of blood against the artery walls through your body. Elevated pressure can damage the arteries throughout your body including those in your heart and kidneys. If blood pressure is controlled, the risk of heart disease and kidney damage may be reduced or eliminated. Prescription medicines from your doctor can control high blood pressure. Weight loss, dietary modifications, exercise and lifestyle changes can cause reductions in blood pressure as well.
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease. Diabetes occurs when excess sugar stays in the bloodstream. The sugar damages blood vessels, along with the kidneys and the blood vessels of your heart.
Anemia means your red blood cell count is low. Your kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin, which signals bone marrow to create red blood cells. If the message does not get through, your body does not make new red blood cells. As a result, your heart will get less oxygen because there are not enough red blood cells to deliver oxygen throughout the body. Anemia can also cause the heart to overwork, resulting in the thickening of the wall of the left lower chamber of the heart. This condition is called left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and increases the risk of heart failure or sudden cardiac arrest.
When kidneys work properly, they keep calcium and phosphate levels balanced. Kidneys that are damaged are unable to do this, leaving high amounts of phosphorus in the blood. The risk for coronary artery disease, a specific type of heart disease, is increased when this occurs. High phosphate levels contribute to calcifications in the heart and arteries.
