Kidney Disease (Hypertension-Related) (cont.)
How will I know whether I have kidney damage?
Kidney damage, like hypertension, can be unnoticeable and detected only
through medical tests. Blood tests will show whether your kidneys are removing
wastes efficiently. Your doctor should order tests to measure your serum
creatinine. Having too
much creatinine in your blood is a sign that you have
kidney damage. The doctor should use the serum creatinine to estimate the main
kidney function called glomerular filtration rate, or GFR.
Another sign is proteinuria, or protein in your urine. Proteinuria has also
been shown to be associated with heart disease
and damaged blood vessels.
How can I prevent high blood pressure from damaging my kidneys?
If you have kidney damage, you should keep your blood
pressure below 130/80. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI),
one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), recommends that people with
kidney disease use whatever therapy is necessary, including lifestyle changes and medicines, to
keep their blood pressure below 130/80.
How can I control my blood pressure?
NHLBI has found that five lifestyle changes can help control blood pressure:
- Maintain your weight at a
level close to normal. Choose fruits, vegetables, grains, and low-fat dairy
foods.
- Limit your daily sodium
(salt) intake to 2,000 milligrams or lower if you already have high blood
pressure. Read nutrition labels on packaged foods to learn how much sodium is
in one serving. Keep a sodium diary.
- Get plenty of exercise,
which means at least 30 minutes of moderate activity, such as walking, most
days of the week.
- Avoid consuming too much
alcohol. Men should limit consumption to
two drinks (two 12-ounce servings of beer or two 5-ounce servings of wine or
two 1.5-ounce servings of "hard" liquor) a day. Women should have no more
than a single serving on a given day because metabolic
differences make women more susceptible to the effects of alcohol.
- Limit caffeine intake.
Next: Are there medicines that can help? »
- Calcium Channel Blockers - Establishes the medication calcium channel blockers (CCBs), which are drugs used for treating high blood pressure, angina, and abnormal heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation.
- Creatinine Blood Test - Learn more about the creatinine blood test, a test that measures kidney function. Abnormal creatinine levels in the blood may indicate kidney disease.
- Kidney Failure - Learn about kidney failure, in which the body has fluid retention, risen blood pressure, toxin build up and lack of red blood cells. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, and apetite loss.
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