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Horseshoe Kidney & Hypertension

Horseshoe kidneys are an abnormality that begins while an embryo is still developing. By itself, the condition presents no extraordinary cause for alarm, but it tends to give some people a rare predisposition to certain renal diseases, including high blood pressure. Typically, people don't know they have horseshoe kidneys until they learn they have high blood pressure for no other apparent reason and sometimes it's not controllable by medication. Treatment is typically limited to the symptoms, such as high blood pressure or other diseases. There are surgical options to treat the hypertension the condition causes.

  1. What is Horseshoe Kidney?

    • With this abnormality, the two kidneys fuse together, usually on one side of the spine. Horseshoe kidneys refer to the shape of a particular fusion, but the kidneys can also form L-shapes and be fused down the middle to form one organ called a cake kidney. The condition forms while a baby is developing in the womb, usually in the first trimester. The condition usually has no symptoms, but later in life, a person with horseshoe kidney has a higher risk of kidney diseases, kidney stones and hypertension.

    Horseshoe Kidneys and Hypertension

    • Research has suggested that a horseshoe kidney bring with it many abnormalities in the blood vessels that are connected to it. This gives rise to a higher incidence of renovascular hypertension, which is a particular type of high blood pressure caused by unusually narrow blood vessels going into the kidneys.

    Signs of Kidney-Related Hypertension

    • In most cases of high blood pressure, regardless of their cause, people experience no symptoms. You might be tipped to the presence of renovascular hypertension if you have periodic severe headaches accompanied by any of the following: blood in your urine, extreme chest pain, changes in your vision, irregular heartbeat, exhaustion or buzzing in your ear.

    Treatment of Horseshoe Kidney and Related Hypertension

    • Fused horseshoe kidneys can function completely normally. They can even be transplanted safely to other people. It is the presence of kidney-related disease that must be treated. When it comes to renovascular hypertension, this can be challenging, because this type of high blood pressure doesn't always respond to typical hypertension medications. In some cases, surgical treatment is available. A surgeon can repair the arteries supplying blood to the kidney; one surgery calls for inserting a balloon into the blood vessel, after which blood pressure usually goes back to normal.

    Precautions You Can Take if You Have Horseshoe Kidneys

    • Medical researchers recommend everyone regularly check his blood pressure. An ideal blood pressure is 140/90. Diabetics and stroke victims should keep their pressure below 130/80. Cholesterol aggravates hypertension. You should monitor it regularly and keep it low. Keep it in check by eating a healthy diet, getting good exercise, limiting alcohol intake and quitting any tobacco use. In all cases, take the medication your doctor prescribes for you on schedule.

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