Posted on 01/11/2022 3:09:40 PM PST by ConservativeMind
New kidney research is raising concerns that long-term use of drugs commonly prescribed to treat high-blood pressure and heart failure could be contributing to kidney damage.
Patients should continue taking the medications, which include the well-known and widely used ACE inhibitors, the researchers say. But the scientists are urging studies to better understand the drugs' long-term effects.
"Our studies show that renin-producing cells are responsible for the damage. We are now focusing on understanding how these cells, which are so important to defend us from drops in blood pressure and maintain our well-being, undergo such transformation and induce kidney damage," said Dr. Maria Lopez. "What is needed is to identify what substances these cells make that lead to uncontrolled vessel growth" in the kidney.
Understanding kidney damage
Chronic high blood pressure affects a billion people around the world.
They found that specialized kidney cells called renin cells play an important role. These cells normally produce renin, a vital hormone that helps the body regulate blood pressure. But harmful changes in the renin cells can cause the cells to invade the walls of the kidney's blood vessels. The renin cells then trigger a buildup of another cell type, smooth muscle cells, that cause the vessels to thicken and stiffen. The result: Blood can't flow through the kidney as it should.
Further, the researchers found, long-term use of drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin system, such as ACE inhibitors, or angiotensin receptor blockers, have a similar effect. These drugs are widely used for many purposes, including treating high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and heart attacks, as well as to prevent major heart problems. But long-term use of the drugs was associated with hardened kidney vessels in both lab mice and humans, the scientists found.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
This may point to a benefit from having several blood pressure medicines, all at low dosages, rather than just an ACE-I or ARB at a high dose.
Eat paleo, lift weights, do yoga, meditate, don’t get drunk, don’t chug caffeine, get plenty of sleep.
Bkmrk
“Eat paleo, lift weights, do yoga, meditate, don’t get drunk, don’t chug caffeine, get plenty of sleep”
Really helps.
I lost 55 lbs and stopped the 3 bottles of diet Mt Dew everyday and ate right. No fried foods. Lots of chicken and fish. My hbp really dropped.
Still with age I had to go on HBP medicine. Tried the natural approach but at age 59 you need meds to get you over the top.
“ Eat paleo, lift weights, do yoga, meditate, don’t get drunk, don’t chug caffeine, get plenty of sleep.”
***************************************************************
Damn…. I’m doomed.
They all add up.
There’s always the next life...
Well, the push to be ‘more aggressive’ in treating high blood pressure (i.e., lower targets) will mean even more meds.
Needless to say, I’m a bit suspicious and set my own targets, which are obviously higher than the ‘official’ targets, so as to moderate my drug intake.
“They all add up”
Yes, they do. If I was younger I probably would not need the hbp medicine. Getting old(er) sucks.
“Blood Pressure: How High is Too High and How Do I Lower it Safely?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j314amPw4RQ
90 minutes but worth a look for anyone with systolic blood pressure between 120 & 150. From UCTV: “UCTV features the latest in health and medicine from University of California medical schools. Find the information you need on cancer, transplantation, obesity, disease and much more.”
“Needless to say, I’m a bit suspicious and set my own targets, which are obviously higher than the ‘official’ targets, so as to moderate my drug intake”
They keep lowering the bar. 20-25 years ago 140/90 was considered perfectly normal.
Now it’s considered high.
Same with cholestrol.
I go with process oriented versus “goal” oriented.
I don’t care what numbers they give.
I eat healthy.
I workout very hard.
I sleep 7-9 hours a night.
It either works or I’ll die earlier. Either way, oh well.
“The SPRINT study first made headlines in September 2015, in part because the findings seemed to contradict the expert hypertension guidelines released in December 2013, which for the first time had proposed a higher goal BP ( a systolic BP of less than 150mm mercury) for most adults aged 60 or older...
...But what about for you, or for your older relative? Do the SPRINT results mean you should talk to the doctor about changing your BP medications?
Maybe yes, but quite possibly no. In this article, I’ll help you better understand the SPRINT study and results, as well as the side-effects and special considerations for seniors at risk for falls. This way, you’ll better understand how SPRINT’s findings might inform the BP goals that you and your doctors choose to pursue....
...Now, that doesn’t mean that some doctors won’t be attempting to get patients to a lower blood pressure goal right away. But it’s not clear that this should be done for most patients, and at a minimum, people should know that if they are like the SPRINT participants — which they probably aren’t — aiming for the lower BP goal likely gives them a 0.5%-1.5% chance of avoiding a bad health outcome. (Whereas they will have a very high percent chance of having to take more medication every day.)...”
https://betterhealthwhileaging.net/new-blood-pressure-guidelines-mean-older-adults/
Yesterday they were good for covid. Today maybe not so good.
“They keep lowering the bar.”
I think it’s supply and demand for the doctors. If there isn’t enough ‘supply’ of sick people demanding services, they simply ‘increase demand’.
Consider the alternative....sheegs
“It either works or I’ll die earlier. Either way, oh well.”
I had uncontrolled hbp for many years. Did not give a hoot.
I felt fine I was active. Never went to a dcotor in 20 years
Started seeing people my age or older go on kidney dialysis due to hbp or men late 50’s become impotent due to hbp gave me a new perspective.
I’m trying to get a lot more sodium into my diet, after showing up at the ER with apparent chronic dehydration, some months ago. We never have used salt (except in certain recipes) and until this week, have the same salt shaker from well over a decade ago, on its initial fill.
We were at 350 mg to 1,250 mg of sodium a day and we were doing fine.
Unfortunately, anything under 500 mg a day risks death. It doesn’t matter that my blood pressure always looked great or low.
We’re shooting for 2,800 mg of sodium a day, which means quite a bit of salt.
Yep, not good minimizing salt, as that is deadly.
The PURE study shows that the ‘official’ standards are far too low, and having an intake of less than 4.4 grams of sodium is even low.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6240978/
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