Is there a link between heart health & kidney health?

Having a cardiac problem doesn't mean that you will develop renal disease, but cardiac problems tend to be a major risk factor for renal disease.

On the same context, patients with heart failure associated with decreased ejection friction are at risk of renal disease; this is because the cardiac muscles in patients of heart failure are unable to pump blood to the whole body properly, which reduces the amount of blood that passes through the kidneys, leading to decreased urine output as well as salt and water retention. The end result of this pathway is worsening of the heart failure and development of renal dysfunction.

Anyway, preventive measures of both cardiac and renal health problems are relatively similar; if you follow the necessary precautions to reduce the risk of heart disease, your kidneys will remain healthy too. To enjoy healthy heart and kidneys, it's advised to do the following:

• Quit smoking.
• You should be physically active (do some exercise).
• Proper control and management of chronic disease such as diabetes or hypertension.
• Maintain healthy weight.
• Avoiding increased intake of fat, sugar and salt.
• Regular check up of blood pressure, blood glucose level, blood cholesterol level and renal function test.