Hypertension and Kidney Specialists in Ventnor, NJ

Diabetes and hypertension can damage blood vessels in your kidneys. This damage impairs your kidneys’ ability to filter waste from your blood. Hypertension and kidney specialists in Ventnor, NJ can help you control your blood pressure, reduce damage to your kidneys, and treat underlying conditions that could contribute to hypertension or kidney disease.

At SMC Physicians in Ventnor, NJ, we evaluate patients with hypertension and create personalized treatment plans to protect your cardiovascular system and kidneys throughout every stage of treatment.

Millions of Americans suffer from hypertension and kidney damage is one of the most common causes of chronic kidney disease. High blood pressure means your blood pushes too hard against your blood vessels. When blood pressure is high for long periods of time, this excess pressure can damage your blood vessels. Over time, these blood vessels become damaged, including those within the kidneys. As kidney function declines, the kidneys become less efficient at removing waste and excess fluid, which can cause blood pressure to rise even higher.

How Does Hypertension Damage Your Kidneys?

Blood travels through your arteries into your kidneys where your blood is filtered. Your kidneys help regulate blood pressure by balancing fluid levels, controlling electrolytes, and releasing hormones to manage your circulation. When your kidneys are healthy, your blood pressure typically remains stable. However, if your kidneys become damaged, you may develop high blood pressure that is difficult to control.

As your hypertension worsens, blood vessels in your kidneys can become narrow, weak, or damaged. When this happens, blood is not delivered to your kidneys at normal levels. Your kidneys filter your blood to remove waste and extra fluid from your body. When there is not enough blood flowing to your kidneys, you may retain extra fluids causing your blood pressure to rise and damage your kidneys further.

Kidney disease can develop slowly over time with no symptoms at all. For this reason, many people aren’t aware they have kidney disease until the later stages.

What Are the Risk Factors of Hypertension and Kidney Disease?

Certain factors can increase your risk of developing kidney disease due to hypertension. Some of the most common risk factors include:

• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Having a family history of kidney disease
• Smoking
• High cholesterol
• Cardiovascular disease
• Older age
• Chronic high blood pressure that is not controlled
• Consuming too much sodium

If you have one or more of these risk factors, it’s important to get regular checkups and monitor your blood pressure.

Symptoms of Kidney Damage or Failure

Hypertension typically doesn’t cause any symptoms. That’s why hypertension is often referred to as the “silent killer.” As kidney disease progresses, however, you may begin to experience symptoms that indicate your kidneys are being damaged. Symptoms of kidney damage or failure can include:

• Swelling in your feet, ankles, hands or face
• Changes in urination habits
• Blood in your urine
• Fatigue
• Trouble concentrating
• Feeling nauseous or having a decreased appetite
• Muscle cramps
• Shortness of breath
• Unexplained itching
• Persistently high blood pressure readings despite taking hypertension medication

If you experience any of these symptoms, it's important to schedule an evaluation with an SMC specialist to determine whether kidney disease or another condition may be the cause.

Diagnosing High Blood Pressure and Kidney Damage

When you visit SMC physicians to be evaluated for hypertension and kidney disease, your doctor will take a look at your medical history, current symptoms and potential risk factors. From there, they will run diagnostic tests to determine if your kidneys have been damaged by hypertension.

Diagnostic tests may include: blood pressure readings, blood tests, urine tests, kidney function tests, electrolyte testing and kidney ultrasounds. Tests can provide information about how well your kidneys are working and if there is any damage to your blood vessels.

Our specialists will also look for secondary causes of hypertension. Some underlying conditions that can cause hypertension include endocrine issues or problems with the structure of your blood vessels. Kidney disorders, some of which may be inherited, can also cause hypertension.

Treating High Blood Pressure

The main goals when treating hypertension and kidney disease are to lower blood pressure, maintain kidney function and prevent future complications. Every patient's treatment plan will be tailored to their specific needs.

Our providers may prescribe medication to help control blood pressure and protect your kidneys. Medication can help lower blood pressure and remove excess fluids from your body. Your doctor can make changes to your treatment plan if your blood pressure isn’t being controlled.

It’s important to maintain a healthy lifestyle if you have hypertension and kidney disease. You may need to make lifestyle changes such as:

• Limiting sodium intake
• Eating a heart-healthy diet
• Exercising regularly
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Quitting smoking
• Avoiding alcohol abuse
• Managing stress
• Managing your blood sugar if you have diabetes

Depending on your current health, your SMC Physicians provider may have additional instructions to help you control your blood pressure and maintain your kidney health.

Ongoing Management

Managing hypertension and kidney disease is a lifelong journey that requires frequent monitoring and follow-up appointments. Follow-up appointments are crucial to keeping track of your kidney function, reviewing laboratory testing, keeping track of your blood pressure and updating your treatment plan accordingly.

By seeking treatment and sticking with your treatment plan, you can live a long life with hypertension and kidney disease. Left untreated, high blood pressure and kidney disease can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and irreversible kidney damage.

If you catch hypertension and kidney disease in its early stages, you have a better chance of keeping your kidneys healthy and avoiding future complications.

Request an Appointment

At SMC Physicians you’ll find hypertension and kidney specialists in Ventnor, NJ. Our physicians focus on controlling hypertension in our patients and protecting their kidney function.

To request an appointment directly, call (609) 350-6780 or complete our online form to get in touch.