Kidney And Heart Disease

Adult Congenital Heart Disease
Adult Congenital Heart Disease Affects One Percent

Out of every 100 infants born in the United States, .....

Is There a Link Between Kidney and Heart Disease?

If you look at it, both kidney and heart diseases are totally unrelated. The kidney disease involves the excretory system, while the heart disease involves the cardio-vascular system. However, if you look closer there are many ways in which heart disease can develop in the wake of kidney disease.

Most Common Possible Links

Cure For Heart Disease
Finding the Right Cure for Heart Disease

The heart is one of the most important organs in our body, .....

1. Kidney and heart disease link no 1: Red blood cells formation - kidneys are producing erythropoietin which is a hormone needed for the formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow. Owing to kidney disease, the hormone production can be inhibited or stopped altogether which in turn influences the production of red blood cells. This results into anemia which in turn forces the heart to work harder to oxygenate the body. Over a certain period of time, this extra effort thickens the walls of the heart on the left side causing left ventricular hypertrophy or LVH as it is known in medical terms. LVH is one of leading causes for heart attack and death.

2. Kidney and heart disease link no 2: Regulating blood pressure - kidneys produce an enzyme called rennin which regulated blood pressure in the body. When the kidneys are damaged, this enzyme is produced in excess, causing extremely high blood pressure. In turn the high blood pressure stresses the heart leading to fatal hear attacks and/or strokes.

Valvular Heart Disease
What is Valvular Heart Disease?

Valvular heart disease is a condition that occurs when any of the heart's .....

3. Kidney and heart disease link no 3 - hardening of the arteries due to increase of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. The kidneys are responsible for controlling and maintaining the balance of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. When the kidney is diseased, there is high build-up of these substances in the body which causes the arteries to harden and narrow. This in turn leads to coronary heart diseases and high risk of heart attack.

4. Kidney and heart disease link no 4 - High homocysteine (an amino acid) levels - the kidneys are known to regulate the homocysteine levels in the blood by removing the excess whenever it is found. When the kidneys are diseases they fail in this function hence allowing the levels of homocysteine to increase. This in turn deposit on the walls of the arteries forming the dreaded plaque which is instrumental in bringing about strokes and heart attacks. The increased levels of this amino acid are known to damage the lining of blood cells resulting in blood clots which can lead to fatal heart attacks.

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