Don't Let High Blood Pressure Kill Your Kidneys
This article was originally published and produced by KCBD.com
LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - We hear a lot about high blood pressure or hypertension and we know that's not good for the heart.
But did you know that high blood pressure can also quietly shut down your kidneys?
Dr. Meryem Tuncel is a nephrologist and hypertension specialist at the Texas Tech
Health Sciences Center. She says, “Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a very important
risk factor for developing kidney failure in the future. When you look at end stage
kidney disease, the number one cause is diabetes and the number two cause is hypertension.
So it is very common.”
She says that kidney disease is difficult to spot early since the symptoms appear
late in the disease process. At that point, someone may come into the emergency room
unaware that their kidney disease has advanced so much that they are facing dialysis
or transplant.
Dr. Tuncel says these are clues that the kidneys are struggling. "Swelling of the
legs, itching, nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, metallic taste in their mouth.
They can have a fluid collection in the lungs and be quite short of breath. They may
have chest pain and also they may seize from advanced kidney disease.”
Her advice - know your blood pressure.
She says, “Everybody should check their blood pressure from time to time. There are
machines available in drug stores and they can buy home monitors.”
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