High blood pressure (hypertension) is a condition that sometimes causes kidney damage. Some forms of hypertension affect blood vessels near your kidneys, which increases your risk of serious complications.
Our kidney physicians (nephrologists) deliver personalized treatments that control hypertension and help many people avoid additional health problems. These capabilities are one of the reasons other doctors refer complex cases to us.
Hypertension increases the force of blood as it flows through your blood vessels. Over time, this extra force may stretch and weaken blood vessels. Scar tissue often forms as your body tries to repair the damage.
When scar tissue forms in the blood vessels near your kidneys, it can disrupt blood flow. And without proper blood flow, your kidneys do not work the way they should. The most serious complication of high blood pressure is kidney failure, which is life-threatening.
Kidney problems from hypertension often happen when blood pressure treatments are not successful. At Allegheny Health Network (AHN), fellowship-trained nephrologists care for you. Fellowship training involves advanced education and practice beyond what’s taught in medical school. Their high level of training allows us to consistently stop kidney damage and gives you excellent chances for good results.
Other highlights of our program include:
We help many people prevent kidney damage with the DASH diet. This diet lowers your risk for hypertension complications by limiting salt in the foods you eat. In most cases, you consume no more than 1 teaspoon (2,300 milligrams) per day.
When you are on the DASH diet, you can expect to eat plenty of:
Your personalized care plan may include additional treatments, such as:
Call (412) DOCTORS (412) 362-8677 or request an appointment to learn more about AHN nephrology services.
