Several people take blood pressure medication on a regular basis. Even patients suffering from heart-related issues also take some medication for a long duration. Though they are beneficial to avoid health complications, such medications can lead to kidney damage in the long run.
Kidney Damage Linked To Long Usage Of Blood Pressure Medication
Recent studies have confirmed that using such prescription medication can have an impact on the overall functioning of the kidneys. The long-term side effects of such drugs have to be understood carefully so that health complications can be avoided in the future.
According to studies, the cells that produce renin is the likely cause for kidney damage in such patient. Scientists are working on studying the behavior of these cells that trigger kidney damage in the long run. Even though these cells protect the body from adverse blood pressure conditions, it has other undesired effects when the medication is used for several years.
The problem with patients suffering from blood pressure complications is that they have to use such medication for a long time to maintain their health.
Across the US, millions of people suffer from high blood pressure and it is also linked with obesity and other health conditions in most cases. When the condition persists for a long duration, it often leads to other health complications. The blood vessels in the kidneys become small in such patients and this leads to kidney damage. Not only that, but it also causes the arteries to become thick thereby leading to heart problems.
The cells in the kidney produce renin which is very beneficial to control blood pressure. The renin hormone regulates blood pressure and avoids various health complications. But several changes were observed in the renin cells when blood pressure medication was used for a long term.
Due to these changes, the renin cells begin to invade the blood vessels in the kidney leading to organ damage. Not stopping at that, it also leads to thickening of the blood vessels which restricts the flow of blood to the kidneys. Due to these complications, the kidney suffers a lot in the long run.
Similarly, a medication used to treat heart ailments also contain angiotensin receptor blockers which can cause kidney problems. Though such medications are very useful in preventing heart attacks and other problems, they damage the kidneys when the medication is used for many years. However, doctors do not want the patients to stop using such medication as those medications have a lot of beneficial effects for heart patients.
Researchers are now working towards finding the extent of kidney damage done by such life-saving medication. It is important to understand the molecules produced by these cells that lead to kidney damage. In this way, the undesired effect of the medication can be controlled and it can be safely used for blood pressure issues.
For this reason, patients suffering from chronic health problems should not only depend on medication and bring in suitable modifications to their lifestyle. When patients take a healthy diet and maintain the ideal weight, it becomes easy to control blood pressure and other issues.
In this way, the dependency on medication reduces to a large extent. Once the patient is able to manage the blood pressure in a normal way with good exercise and diet, the medication can be gradually reduced based on the suggestions of the doctor.
Even when doctors suggest patients take blood pressure medication regularly, patients benefit a lot by maintaining a healthy diet and active lifestyle. This helps to promote the free flow of blood to the kidneys and keeps them in healthy condition. Such simple changes to lifestyle can improve the overall health condition of the patients.
