What to do for High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease ?
- Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls as the heart pumps out blood, and high blood pressure, also called hypertension, is an increase in the amount of force that blood places on blood vessels as it moves through the body.  - High blood pressure can damage blood vessels in the kidneys, reducing their ability to work properly. When the force of blood flow is high, blood vessels stretch so blood flows more easily. Eventually, this stretching scars and weakens blood vessels throughout the body, including those in the kidneys.  - High blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure in the United States after diabetes.  - A health care provider diagnoses high blood pressure when multiple blood pressure testsoften repeated over several visits to a health care providers officeshow that a systolic blood pressure is consistently above 140 or a diastolic blood pressure is consistently above 90.  - Kidney disease is diagnosed with urine and blood tests.  - The best way to slow or prevent kidney damage from high blood pressure is to take steps to lower blood pressure. These steps include a combination of medication and lifestyle changes, such as      - healthy eating    - physical activity    - maintaining a healthy weight    - quitting smoking    - managing stress    - No matter what the cause of the kidney disease, high blood pressure can increase damage to the kidneys. People with kidney disease should keep their blood pressure below 140/90.