Hypertension is a condition when your blood pressure is recorded consistently at the level of 140/90 mmHg or higher. Most of the time, hypertension does not show any symptoms. The problem is that Hypertension is not just a cause of kidney disease, but it's also a result of damage created by the kidney disease. High blood pressure makes your heart work harder and damages your blood vessels. As the blood vessels in your heart become damaged, they lose their effectiveness in screening the wastes from your body. This increases the fluids in your body and increases your blood pressure even more.
The damage of the blood vessels in your kidneys due to high blood pressure is what is known as Hypertensive Nephropathy.
What are the symptoms of Hypertensive Nephropathy?
If high blood pressure runs in your family, the presence of the disease seems to increase chances of developing kidney disease. Symptoms of kidney disease due to high blood pressure include:
- A need to urinate more often, especially at night
- Decrease in amount of urine or difficulty urinating
- Edema (fluid retention), especially in the lower legs
What are the Types of Hypertensive Nephropathy?
There are 2 types of hypertensive nephropathy, namely benign nephrosclerosis and malignant nephrosclerosis. Benign nephrosclerosis is most present in people over 60 years old while the rare malignant nephrosclerosis occurs only in 1 to 5 percent of people with hypertension.
Malignant nephrosclerosis only occurs in a case of hypertension with diastolic blood pressure exceeding 130mm Hg. This is present in patients that already have an existing kidney disease that developed into malignant hypertension.
How is Hypertensive Nephropathy prevented?
- To prevent hypertension-related kidney damage:
- Keep your blood pressure below 130/80
- Have your blood pressure checked regularly
- Maintain a proper diet
- Take any medications prescribed by your doctor
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