At the Heart of The Matter

At the Heart of The Matter

A reader who is a blogger in her own right was asked this question by one of her readers. Since the question was not exactly in her field, she asked me if I would be able to write about it. Thank you, Leesa, and the answer is yes. Now, the question, “Why do heart and kidney diseases go together?”

The question reminded me that my cardiologist requests my presence annually, although I’ve never had a problem with my heart. He does an electrocardiogram and I chat. I like that my specialist takes such good care of me.

Wait a minute. Are you aware of how your heart works? How about a reminder? The National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Heart, Lung, and Blood explains:

“The heart is an organ about the size of your fist that pumps blood through your body. It is made up of multiple layers of tissue.

Your heart is at the center of your circulatory system. This system is a network of blood vessels, such as arteries, veins, and capillaries, that carries blood to and from all areas of your body. Your blood carries the oxygen and nutrients that your organs need to work properly. Blood also carries carbon dioxide to your lungs so you can breathe it out. Inside your heart, valves keep blood flowing in the right direction.

Your heart’s electrical system controls the rate and rhythm of your heartbeat. A healthy heart supplies your body with the right amount of blood at the rate needed to work well. If disease or injury weakens your heart, your body’s organs will not receive enough blood to work normally. A problem with the electrical system — or the nervous or endocrine systems, which control your heart rate and blood pressure — can also make it harder for the heart to pump blood.”

You know, as long as we’re dealing with reminders, how about one dealing with the kidney’s function? Where better to find this information than the National Kidney Foundation:

“You have two kidneys, each about the size of an adult fist, located on either side of the spine just below the rib cage. Although they are small, your kidneys perform many complex and vital functions that keep the rest of the body in balance. For example, kidneys:

  • Help remove waste and excess fluid
  • Filter the blood, keeping some compounds while removing others
  • Control the production of red blood cells
  • Make vitamins that control growth
  • Release hormones that help regulate blood pressure
  • Help regulate blood pressure, red blood cells, and the amount of certain nutrients in the body, such as calcium and potassium.”

Keeping it simple, let’s take a look at “Filter the blood, keeping some compounds while removing others.” We were reminded at the beginning of today’s blog that “If disease or injury weakens your heart, your body’s organs will not receive enough blood to work normally. A problem with the electrical system — or the nervous or endocrine systems, which control your heart rate and blood pressure — can also make it harder for the heart to pump blood.”

This seems to indicate that only lower blood supply to the kidneys is a problem. But the electrical system controls blood pressure. Blood pressure and kidneys go together. So, does that mean that a heart problem can cause kidney disease?

Leesa very kindly included a website in the DM she sent me. According to The British Heart Foundation:

“Relatively recent research has shown that heart failure is a significant risk factor for kidney disease. When the heart is no longer pumping efficiently it becomes congested with blood, causing pressure to build up in the main vein connected to the kidneys and leading to congestion of blood in the kidneys, too. The kidneys also suffer from the reduced supply of oxygenated blood. 

When the kidneys become impaired, the hormone system, which regulates blood pressure, goes into overdrive in an attempt to increase blood supply to the kidneys. The heart then has to pump against higher pressure in the arteries, and eventually suffers from the increase in workload.” 

This reminds me of a closed system, one in the form of a loop. Heart, main vein, kidneys, arteries, heart. That high blood pressure is the second most common cause of kidney disease keeps running through my mine, too. This sounds terrible!

But, have hope. As you probably already know, this breaking down of the proper function of the heart and the kidneys can be treated. [I must admit that even though the original condition is called high blood pressure, it took me a long time to connect the heart to it, thinking only of the arteries.]

I discovered that the risk factors for chronic kidney disease are the same for congestive heart failure [CHF]. Yep: hypertension and diabetes. Diabetes? How? I turned to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

“Over time, high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart. People with diabetes are also more likely to have other conditions that raise the risk for heart disease.”

Don’t panic. Everything can be treated. You already know [or should] the medications you can take for CKD. They can also treat your heart. Healthline reminds us:

“Medications to lower high blood pressure and reduce fluid levels include diuretics, which make the kidneys excrete more sodium and fluids as urine.

Other blood pressure-lowering medications that may be prescribed include beta-blockers, which also help the heart beat more slowly and with less force, and ACE inhibitors.

Medications that help bring blood glucose levels into a healthy range include glucophage (Metformin) and other oral or injectable drugs.”

Since CHF may have different origins or be caused by another condition you suffer, there are other medications offered. In addition, diet and lifestyle changes may be helpful. If you already have CHF, but not CKD, speak with your doctor to discover its cause and how your particular kind of CHF can be treated. While this doesn’t guarantee that you won’t develop CKD due to your CHF, you’ll have a much better chance of avoiding the CKD.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

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