A research team from the Medical University of Vienna has discovered that high blood pressure on its own can damage important kidney cells, even when a person does not have type 2 diabetes.
This finding is important because it shows that high blood pressure may begin to harm the kidneys earlier than previously thought—and before symptoms appear.
The results of the study were published in the journal Hypertension. The research was led by Christopher Paschen, Rainer Oberbauer, and Heinz Regele. Their goal was to learn more about how high blood pressure affects the kidneys at a microscopic level.
The kidneys are essential for filtering waste and extra fluids from the body. Inside each kidney are tiny filters called glomeruli, which are made up of special cells known as podocytes. These cells are key to the kidney’s filtering function. When podocytes are damaged or reduced in number, the kidney cannot work as well.
To investigate, the team analyzed kidney tissue from 99 patients. Some of the patients had high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes, and some had neither. The tissue samples came from people who had undergone surgery to remove a kidney tumor between 2013 and 2018. Importantly, the researchers only studied healthy parts of the kidney, not the areas affected by the tumor.
They used advanced imaging tools and artificial intelligence to carefully measure the size and number of podocytes, as well as the volume of the glomeruli. A specially trained algorithm scanned digital images of the tissue and analyzed the podocyte structure automatically.
The findings showed that people with high blood pressure had fewer podocytes than those without it. Their remaining podocyte cells were also larger, with bigger cell nuclei. These changes were seen even in people who did not have diabetes, suggesting that high blood pressure alone can lead to early kidney damage.
This kind of structural change in the kidney is one of the first warning signs of potential problems in kidney function. Because these changes happen before any symptoms or abnormal lab results appear, they could help doctors detect kidney problems earlier.
Dr. Paschen explained that the results clearly show a connection between high blood pressure and early signs of kidney damage.
Drs. Oberbauer and Regele agreed, saying that this discovery emphasizes the importance of early detection and proper treatment of high blood pressure. Acting early could help slow down the progress of kidney disease and protect long-term health.
While diabetes has long been known to harm the kidneys, this study confirms that high blood pressure can also cause direct structural damage—even without the presence of diabetes. These new insights could help improve early diagnosis and guide future treatment plans to prevent chronic kidney disease.
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