Renal Artery Stenosis

Sometimes, healthcare providers detect and diagnose renal artery stenosis incidentally. This means it happens during the process of diagnosing or treating another disease. If your healthcare provider suspects RAS, they may perform a variety of tests:

Physical exam: Your provider checks your blood pressure, looks for swelling in your limbs and listens to your breathing. They may put a stethoscope near your kidneys to listen as blood flows through your arteries. Blood flowing through narrowed arteries often makes a whooshing sound. Unexplained high blood pressure is one of the most common indicators of RAS.
Kidney function tests: Blood and urine tests, called kidney function tests, can tell how well your kidneys are working. Increased levels of protein, creatinine, nitrogen and other waste products in your body fluids indicate that your kidneys aren’t filtering waste from your blood efficiently.
Imaging scans: There are a variety of imaging scans that can evaluate the size of your kidneys and how well blood is getting to your kidneys. Your provider may perform a renal scan, duplex ultrasound, computerized tomographic angiography (CTA) or magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA).

Symptoms

When to see a doctor

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Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.

The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:

High blood pressure.
Diabetes.
Heart failure.
Some types of heart valve disease.

Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:

Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Don't smoke or use tobacco.
Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Reduce and manage stress.

By Freedmans Health Clinic Staff

Living with atrial fibrillation?

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