Kidney Disease (Hypertension-Related) (cont.)
Are there medicines that can help?
Many people need medicine to control high blood
pressure. Two groups of medications called ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme)
inhibitors and ARBs
(angiotensin receptor blockers)
lower blood pressure and
have an added protective effect on the kidney in people with diabetes.
Additional studies have shown that ACE inhibitors and ARBs also reduce proteinuria and slow the
progression of kidney damage in people who do not have diabetes. You may need to
take a combination of two or more blood pressure medicines to stay below 130/80.
Your doctor may also prescribe a diuretic in addition to your ACE inhibitor or
ARB. Diuretics are also called "water pills" because they help you urinate and
get rid of excess fluid in your body.
What groups are at risk for kidney failure related to high blood pressure?
All racial groups have some risk of developing kidney failure from high blood
pressure. African Americans, however, are more likely than Caucasians to have
high blood pressure and to develop kidney problems from it-even when their blood
pressure is only mildly elevated. In fact, African Americans are six times more
likely than Caucasians to develop hypertension-related kidney failure.
People with diabetes also have a substantially increased
risk for developing kidney failure. People who are at risk both because of their
race and because of
diabetes should have early management of high blood pressure.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK),
also part of NIH, sponsored the African American Study of Kidney Disease and
Hypertension (AASK) to find effective ways to prevent high blood pressure and
kidney failure in this population. The results, released in 2003, showed that an
ACE inhibitor was better at slowing the progression of kidney disease in African
Americans than either of two other drugs.
Next: Hope Through Research »
- 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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