Though he was called Barry Carter at birth, the whole world knew him as Barry White. For decades, he made many listeners swoon because of his deep, velvety voice. Before that, however, he got started in the music industry by joining singing groups in the 60s. It wasn’t until the 70s that he launched a solo career. Once that began, White went on to release several albums to industry acclaim.
Over a four-decade career, Barry White sold more than 100 million records, charted dozens of gold and platinum albums and earned two Grammy Awards. His silky baritone was musical Viagra and solidified his role as the Godfather of Love.
His voice might have been his most noteworthy feature but White was also known for being overweight. It’s believed that this led to him being eventually diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure. Either of these conditions could have further caused his kidney failure. Given the late stage of the disease, he was placed on dialysis while waiting for a kidney transplant. Unfortunately, he had a stroke and passed away months later in 2003.
What Is Kidney Failure?
Kidney failure is also known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This condition is the last stage of chronic kidney disease and signals that your kidneys have stopped working effectively.
You can also have acute kidney failure because of an injury or an illness. Without properly functioning kidneys, the waste in your blood won’t be filtered out.
Once the waste starts to build up, you can expect to experience multiple symptoms such as frothy urine, itchy skin, loss of appetite, swelling in your extremities, persistent nausea, and muscle cramps. If left untreated, kidney failure is typically fatal.
While kidney failure isn’t considered to be common, statistics show that over 800,000 Americans are currently living with the condition. It doesn’t help that nine out of 10 people with kidney disease are unaware of it until it gets to the point of kidney failure.
Many factors can increase your risk of having kidney problems. A few of them include having a family history of kidney disease, having diabetes, having high blood pressure, being over the age of 60, and taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for a long time. Additionally, Black Americans are three times as likely to develop kidney failure as other ethnicities.
How The Condition Is Diagnosed
After discussing your medical history and symptoms, your doctor is likely to request different tests to assess your kidney function. These include blood, urine, imaging, and urine output tests. You may also undergo a kidney biopsy so your doctor can get a clear picture of how your kidney has been damaged. The amount of damage combined with the results of other tests can determine the stage of your kidney disease, which will be important for treating the disease.
It’s also common for doctors to request other tests so they can find the underlying cause of your kidney failure. This will be especially important if your kidney failure is acute instead of chronic. It’s more likely for your kidneys to recoup some of their function in the former case. Some of the illnesses that can affect your kidneys include high blood pressure, diabetes, and polycystic kidney disease. If your doctor finds any conditions, they’ll treat those as well.
How Kidney Failure Is Treated
Given how important your kidneys are, it will be necessary for you to take certain medications that manage the effects of chronic kidney disease. This list can include drugs that control blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and fluid levels. Since doctors often recommend dietary changes, you may also need to take certain supplements. For example, you might be prescribed iron and calcium tablets. Finally, you’ll usually require dialysis to remove toxins from your blood. For acute kidney failure, the medications will be focused on similar things until your kidneys recover.
The ultimate treatment for kidney failure is a transplant. However, this decision will be based on several factors that you’ll discuss with a doctor before moving forward.
How Can High Blood Pressure Lead To Kidney Failure?
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), over time, high blood pressure harms renal blood vessels.
The nephrons in the kidneys are supplied with a dense network of blood vessels, and high volumes of blood flow through them.
Over time, uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause arteries around the kidneys to narrow, weaken or harden. These damaged arteries are not able to deliver enough blood to the kidney tissue.
Damaged kidney arteries do not filter blood well. Kidneys have small, finger-like nephrons that filter your blood. Each nephron receivesits blood supply through tiny hair-like capillaries, the smallest of all blood vessels.
When the arteries become damaged, the nephrons do not receive the essential oxygen and nutrients — and the kidneys lose their ability to filter blood and regulate the fluid, hormones, acids, and salts in the body.
Damaged kidneys fail to regulate blood pressure. Healthy kidneys produce a hormone called aldosterone to help the body regulate blood pressure. Kidney damage and uncontrolled high blood pressure each contribute to a negative spiral. As more arteries become blocked and stop functioning, the kidneys eventually fail.
The kidneys and the circulatory system depend on each other for good health. The kidneys help filter wastes and extra fluids from blood, and they use a lot of blood vessels to do so. When the blood vessels become damaged, the nephrons that filter your blood don’t receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to function well.
This is why high blood pressure (HBP or hypertension) is the second leading cause of kidney failure. The AHA reports that over time, uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause arteries around the kidneys to narrow, weaken or harden. These damaged arteries are not able to deliver enough blood to the kidney tissue.
Managing blood pressure levels
Maintaining an awareness of your numbers can alert you to any changes and help you detect patterns. Tracking your results over time will also reveal if the changes you’ve made are working. Download a printable blood pressure log (PDF) to get started on tracking your levels.
Make important lifestyle changes immediately
- Eat a well-balanced diet that’s low in salt
- Limit alcohol
- Enjoy regular physical activity
- Manage stress
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Quit smoking
- Take your medications properly
- Work together with your doctor
There are several risk factors for developing kidney failure. Unfortunately, being Black is one of them. If you pay attention to changes in your health, however, you can be diagnosed with kidney disease in its early stages and won’t need to deal with the effects of kidney failure.
