High blood pressure puts you at risk for chronic kidney disease. High blood pressure can put stress on the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys. This is where waste products are filtered. High blood pressure can damage these vessels over time. High blood pressure is the second leading cause of chronic kidney disease after diabetes. Chronic kidney disease can be a life-threatening condition.

Even slightly higher than normal blood pressure can affect your kidneys over your lifetime. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms. Neither does early kidney disease. This is one of the reasons why your doctor checks your blood pressure at every visit.

Get your blood pressure checked often to head off these problems!