Do You Have High Blood Pressure? Here’s How to Protect Your Kidneys

At Urology Specialists of Cypress, Dr. James Stocks — an experienced, board-certified urologist and caring Texas native — frequently sees patients with high blood pressure because it’s a leading risk factor for one of his areas of expertise: kidney disease. 

About half of American adults have high blood pressure today. If you’re among that number and starting to think about your long-term kidney health, there’s no better time than Hypertension Awareness Month in May. 

This month’s blog discusses how high blood pressure can affect your kidneys — and how to avoid serious complications like kidney failure.

How hypertension affects your kidneys

Your kidneys remove waste and extra fluids from your blood. Consistently high blood pressure can narrow and damage the tiny vessels in your kidneys. This inhibits their filtering ability and increases your risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Late-stage kidney disease requires dialysis or a kidney transplant, but that's often avoidable with early detection and treatment.

Signs of kidney problems often don’t appear until later stages, which is why you should take preventive steps early, as soon as you're diagnosed with high blood pressure. About 20% of Americans with high blood pressure have kidney disease.

Lowering your risk of kidney damage

Managing your blood pressure well helps protect your kidneys from long-term harm. It may sound simple to manage your blood pressure, but it requires close attention to your health and lifestyle. 

That all starts with regular appointments at Urology Specialists of Cypress to monitor your blood pressure and its effects on your kidneys over time.

Your hypertension treatment and kidney disease prevention plan may be a joint effort between 

Dr. Stocks and your primary care doctor or cardiologist. Some of the central aspects may include:

• Dietary changes like reduced salt and processed foods
• Prescribed medications
• Avoiding smoking and alcohol
• Staying physically active
• Monitoring your blood pressure at home

If you already have kidney disease, managing your blood pressure becomes even more urgent. At that point, you may need additional treatments to manage kidney disease symptoms, such as chronic lower extremity swelling and difficulty urinating. Such symptoms require immediate attention, as they're often a sign of progressing kidney disease.  

Dr. Stocks works with you to monitor kidney function and catch problems early. With his thoughtful, compassionate approach, you’ll never feel rushed, and your concerns will always be heard.

Avoid kidney disease: Manage your blood pressure now

If you have high blood pressure or have noticed your numbers steadily creeping up over time, don't wait for a crisis like kidney failure before you get help. Call our Cypress, Texas, at 281-304-2521 to book your appointment with Dr. Stocks and start protecting your kidneys now.