*information obtained from African-American Healthy by Richard Walker Jr, M.D

When you ignore the signs of it, like a Blood Pressure as high as 230/70. Your body will enter into end-stage renal disease; which means your kidneys are failing and they would require dialysis while the search for an organ donor begins.

Located just below the middle of the back, one on either side of the spine, the kidneys perform numerous important functions in the body.

• controlling your blood pressure
• maintain your acid-base balance
• regulate your levels of water and salt
• produce hormones such as vitamin D3
• produces erythropoietin which is a necessary element in the creation of red blood cells

The Kidney’s Job is the filtration of blood and subsequent removal of residual waste, which makes it’s way to the bladder and gets execrated via urination.

What is Chronic Kidney Disease?

Characterized by a gradual decrease in kidney function, which causes a host of health problems like:

• accumulated waste in the body
• high blood pressure
• excess acid in the body (acidosis)
• anemia

Due to deteorioration over the number of years, the kidneys can eventually cease to work completely.

Did You Know: individuals whose kidneys have weakened to below 10% percent of their normal ability are considered “end-stage renal disease” patients. They require dialysis, which is the regular filtration of the blood by an external machine, or replacement kidney.

Early symptoms of kidney disease: protein in the urine, swelling of ankles/legs, frequent urination during the night, fatigue, itching and high blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure can lead to Kidney Disease by overworking your blood vessels.