Hypertension

Hypertension increases risk for CKD, but it’s controllable.

One of the leading causes of kidney disease is hypertension, or high blood pressure.

What is hypertension and why does it matter?

To circulate blood through the body, heart muscles contract and then rest, pushing blood through the arteries and capillaries to the veins.  When your doctor measures your blood pressure, and it is elevated, you have hypertension. You are often asked to check your blood pressure at home and keep a record or log if you have hypertension. Hypertension is also known as a “silent killer” because it often has no symptoms while it inflicts damage to the body’s vital organs such as the heart, brain, eyes, and kidneys.

Hypertension can lead directly to:

Risk factors for high blood pressure.

Because high blood pressure can cause serious problems and even death with no previously recognizable symptoms, it is vitally important to have your blood pressure checked regularly by your primary care provider.  Risk factors of high blood pressure include:

  • A family history of hypertension
  • Being African-American
  • Older age (risk increases as you age)
  • Being overweight
  • Having sleep apnea
  • Smoking, vaping or consuming tabacco products
  • Eating a diet high in salt
  • Consuming excessive alcohol
  • Lack of exercising
  • High levels of stress
  • Diagnosis of diabetes or prediabetes
  • Diagnosis of chronic kidney disease

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What your blood pressure readings mean.

Blood pressure readings indicate the pressure in the arteries, and they can vary from one person to the next and vary within one person throughout the day. Blood pressure actually has two measurements, systolic and diastolic pressure, which are represented as a fraction, such as 120/80.

The first value (top number) measures the pressure in the arteries while the heart muscle is in the peak of contracting. This is systolic pressure. The second value (lower number) measures pressure while the heart is resting between beats, which is the diastolic pressure.

Get advanced hypertension care in Dallas-Fort Worth.

In most adults, there is no identifiable cause of hypertension. Yet, while it cannot be cured, it can be controlled. Because high blood pressure is one of the leading causes of chronic kidney disease, controlling hypertension is a primary focus for the kidney specialists at Dallas Nephrology Associates. In addition to having fellowship-trained and board-certified expertise in this area, several of our kidney doctors also have added training and certification in managing hypertension.

Need additional information about chronic kidney disease?

Click on the links below to find out what else you need to know about chronic kidney disease (CKD).

To get state-of-the-art management and treatment of kidney disease, call the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s Dallas Nephrology Associates at 877-654-3639. You can also reach us via our convenient online form.