Many people with kidney disease also have high blood pressure at the same time. Sometimes a deterioration in blood pressure even leads to a decline in kidney function. In this article you will find answers to the most important questions about blood pressure and early-stage kidney disease.
Nowadays everyone knows that a healthy blood pressure is a very important component of our health. But what does blood pressure have to do with the kidneys? A great deal! Our kidneys are very important for the regulation of blood pressure, in addition to numerous other functions that are essential for survival. If the kidneys no longer function properly, this can lead to high blood pressure before or after transplantation. High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. This in turn can lead to a further reduction in kidney function - even in your new kidney. But what exactly is blood pressure and what do you have to watch out for after the transplant? We give you important information and help you to get your blood pressure under control.
What exactly is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the dominant pressure in your blood vessels. In most cases, this means the arterial blood pressure in the large arteries, which can be measured using a simple blood pressure cuff, but in principle it can of course also be measured in various sections of the vascular system. As you surely know, blood pressure is always indicated by two numerical values: The first value is the maximum pressure that occurs in the aorta when the heart pumps blood out of the left ventricle. This value is also called systolic blood pressure. The second value indicates the minimum pressure that can be measured in the aorta when the heart is not pumping blood out of the left ventricle - the so-called diastolic blood pressure. By the way, the unit of measurement for blood pressure is milliliter of mercury (mmHg). In everyday life, we usually measure the pressure in the artery of the left upper arm. This value is usually sufficient for blood pressure adjustment.
Is my blood pressure the same all day?
Your blood pressure fluctuates naturally depending on what you are doing. So it changes throughout the day. It is usually lowest at night, or immediately after waking up. During physical or emotional stress, our blood pressure rises. Blood pressure fluctuations within normal limits are quite normal. It becomes particularly alarming when the systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure shows constantly high values even at rest.
What does high blood pressure mean?
Good or normal blood pressure is defined as a maximum of 129 mmHg (systolic) or 84 mmHg (diastolic) in people with healthy kidneys. If the systolic values are between 130-139 mmHg or the diastolic values between 85-89 mmHg, we speak of high-normal blood pressure, and if the values are at least 140 mmHg systolic or at least 90 mmHg diastolic, we speak of level 1 or higher hypertension.
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What are possible causes of hypertension?
Naming a specific cause for hypertension can be difficult. If the cause cannot be determined precisely, it is referred to as essential or primary hypertension. In this case, unhealthy lifestyle factors such as smoking, frequent alcohol consumption, stress, obesity, high salt consumption and too little exercise are mainly assumed to be the cause. You should then strive to make changes in your diet and general lifestyle accordingly. If, on the other hand, there is a clearly identifiable cause, this is called secondary arterial hypertension. Several factors can be the cause of this, which you can then take targeted action against. These include:
- Hormonal disorders of the thyroid gland
- Disorders of the adrenal cortex
- Narrowing of the renal vessels and disorders of renal function
- Sleep apnea
- Hereditary factors
How are blood pressure and early-stage kidney disease related?
In patients with advanced kidney disease, high blood pressure can be both a cause and a consequence of kidney disease, as discussed above. However, you should understand that the decrease in your kidney function leaves more sodium in your body, which is usually excreted through your kidneys. The same is true for the fluid within your body. This imbalance then eventually leads to an increase in your blood pressure and further damage to your kidneys.
Even though your nephrologist often reminds you to eat a low-salt diet, in kidney disease this is usually related to your blood pressure. This is because salt binds more water in your body. Salt is made up of sodium and chloride, which, as mentioned above, often remains in your body in increased amounts when you have kidney disease, where it binds fluid in your blood vessels.
What should my blood pressure be if I have early-stage kidney disease?
If you have early-stage kidney disease without dialysis, your systolic blood pressure should ideally be below 120 mmHg (systolic). Will you be on dialysis soon? Here, the target values for your blood pressure will change a little, as your fluid balance will now fluctuate a little more due to dialysis. Before any dialysis treatment, your blood pressure should be below 140 mmHg (systolic) to 90 mmHg (diastolic) in the long term. After dialysis, a target value of below 130 mmHg (systolic) to 80 mmHg (diastolic) applies. However, we will only deal with blood pressure on dialysis in detail if it is necessary for you.
Here is a summary for you:
Why is it particularly important in early-stage kidney disease that your blood pressure is in the green zone?
As already mentioned several times, blood pressure influences your kidney function and thus your health. Especially as a person with kidney disease, you should therefore attach great importance to healthy blood pressure values. This also has to do with the prevention of secondary diseases. Long-term high blood pressure in particular damages the entire body and thus also the small blood vessels, the capillaries. This often results in damage to the heart, brain or extremities, for example.
How do I notice that I have high blood pressure?
High blood pressure often goes unnoticed for a long time because there are no typical, unusual symptoms. Therefore, pay more attention to regular signs such as:
- Morning headaches
- Nosebleeds
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Dizziness, ringing in the ears and nausea
How do I get my blood pressure under control?
To ensure a healthy blood pressure in the long term, you should try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This includes:
- Regular exercise
- A healthy diet
- Reducing carbohydrates and sugar
- Low alcohol consumption
- Preventing excessive salt consumption (maximum 5 - 6 grams per day)
- Healthy stress management
Where and how can I get support for high blood pressure?
If you have symptoms or already know that you have elevated blood pressure or high blood pressure, your nephrologist will certainly already have this on his or her radar. It is extremely important for your health that you bring your high blood pressure into a green range. The best way to do this is to regularly document your blood pressure in an analog or digital logbook. The Mizu app can help you with this. The app also contains a lot of other relevant information, tips and tricks on the subject of blood pressure and kidney disease. In general, the ideal blood pressure therapy always consists of a combination of lifestyle changes (exercise, diet, stress, etc.), medicinal measures and regulation of salt intake.
