Kidney and Heart Disease: How They Are Connected

Guest post provided by Michael Spigler, Vice President of Patient Support and Education, American Kidney Fund

When it comes to taking care of your health, think of heart disease and kidney disease as interconnected partners. If your kidneys don’t function properly, it can lead to issues like high blood pressure and inflammation, putting your heart at risk. Additionally, heart problems can negatively affect your kidneys by reducing blood flow to them.

Having chronic kidney disease (CKD) means that you’re more likely to get heart disease. The reverse is also true: heart disease can cause CKD. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death among people on dialysis, a life-saving treatment for people in kidney failure. 

However, many people don’t know that the best way to prevent heart disease is to prevent or treat the problems that can cause it, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and anemia.

Consider these facts: