What is high blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls as your heart pumps out blood. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is an increase in the amount of force that blood places on blood vessels as it moves through the body.

How does high blood pressure affect the kidneys?

High blood pressure can constrict and narrow the blood vessels, which eventually damages and weakens them throughout the body, including in the kidneys. The narrowing reduces blood flow.

If your kidneys’ blood vessels are damaged, they may no longer work properly. When this happens, the kidneys are not able to remove all wastes and extra fluid from your body. Extra fluid in the blood vessels can raise your blood pressure even more, creating a dangerous cycle, and cause more damage leading to kidney failure.