A new study from the Medical University of Vienna has found that high blood pressure (hypertension) can cause early damage to the kidneys—even in people who don’t have diabetes.
This discovery shows why it’s so important to detect and treat high blood pressure early, before it leads to more serious health problems.
The study, published in the journal Hypertension, looked at kidney tissue from 99 patients. Some had high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, while others had neither condition.
All the tissue samples came from people who had kidney surgery to remove tumors, but the researchers used parts of the kidney that were not affected by cancer.
The research team used advanced imaging and computer technology—including artificial intelligence—to examine small parts of the kidney called glomeruli.
These are tiny filters made up of special cells called podocytes, which help clean the blood. Healthy podocytes are essential for the kidneys to work properly.
By using deep-learning algorithms to study the images, the scientists were able to measure the size and number of podocytes in each sample. They found that people with high blood pressure had fewer podocytes and that their cell nuclei were larger compared to people without high blood pressure. These are signs of early damage—even before any symptoms of kidney disease appear.
“These changes show that high blood pressure alone, even without diabetes, can begin to harm the kidneys,” said lead researcher Christopher Paschen. This damage is microscopic, but it could be the first sign of reduced kidney function.
Until now, doctors have mostly focused on diabetes as a major cause of kidney disease. While diabetes is still a key factor, this study proves that high blood pressure can also cause direct, early harm to the kidneys on its own.
The researchers say this highlights the importance of monitoring blood pressure regularly and starting treatment early—before any major kidney problems occur. “Catching these changes early could help slow down the progression of kidney disease and prevent long-term damage,” added co-leaders Rainer Oberbauer and Heinz Regele.
High blood pressure and type 2 diabetes are two of the top causes of chronic kidney disease. With this new knowledge, doctors may be able to improve early diagnosis and tailor treatments to better protect kidney health in people with hypertension—even if they don’t have other medical conditions.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies about what to eat and to avoid for high blood pressure, and 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
For more health information, please see recent studies about the connection between potato and high blood pressure, and how to eat your way to healthy blood pressure.
Source: KSR.
