Your kidneys are 2 bean-shaped organs that make urine (pee), balance your body’s water and mineral levels, and filter waste out of your blood.
The Urinary Tract
 |
What is a blockage of the renal arteries?
The renal arteries are blood vessels that carry blood to your kidneys. A blockage means the renal arteries become narrowed or clogged so blood can't get through.
Kidney arteries can be blocked gradually by narrowing or suddenly by a blood clot
A sudden block in the renal arteries causes an aching pain in your lower back or belly, a fever, and nausea
Blockage can lead to high blood pressure High Blood Pressure Each heart beat pushes blood through your arteries. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to your body. Blood pressure is the pressure of blood in your arteries. Without... read more or kidney failure Overview of Kidney Failure Kidney failure is the inability of the kidneys to adequately filter metabolic waste products from the blood. Kidney failure has many possible causes. Some lead to a rapid decline in kidney function... read more
Doctors treat a block in the renal arteries with medicine and surgery
What causes a blockage of the renal arteries?
Your renal arteries can be blocked when:
A clot from somewhere else in your body is carried by your blood to one or both of your kidneys
A blood clot forms in your renal artery
Hardening of your arteries (atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis In people with atherosclerosis, patchy deposits of fatty material (atheromas or atherosclerotic plaques) develop in the walls of medium-sized and large arteries, leading to reduced or blocked... read more
) or other health problems can make the walls of your renal artery thick, stiff, and narrow
A blood clot usually affects only one kidney. Narrowing of the arteries usually affects both kidneys.
What are the symptoms of blocked renal arteries?
A sudden, complete blockage may cause:
Aching pain in your lower back or lower belly
Fever
Feeling sick to your stomach and throwing up
Sudden, complete blockage usually affects only one kidney. Usually your other kidney takes over the work of filtering your blood and making urine and you don't get kidney failure Overview of Kidney Failure Kidney failure is the inability of the kidneys to adequately filter metabolic waste products from the blood. Kidney failure has many possible causes. Some lead to a rapid decline in kidney function... read more .
A partial blockage doesn't usually cause symptoms, but it may give you:
Partial blockage usually affects both kidneys. If it goes on long enough, you may get kidney failure Overview of Kidney Failure Kidney failure is the inability of the kidneys to adequately filter metabolic waste products from the blood. Kidney failure has many possible causes. Some lead to a rapid decline in kidney function... read more .
How can doctors tell if my renal arteries are blocked?
Doctors suspect a blockage from your symptoms. They may do imaging tests of the urinary tract Imaging Tests of the Urinary Tract There are a variety of tests that can be used in the evaluation of a suspected kidney or urinary tract disorder. (See also Overview of the Urinary Tract.) X-rays are usually not helpful in evaluating... read more :
Computed tomography angiography (a type of CT scan that focuses on your blood vessels), magnetic resonance angiography (a type of MRI that focuses on your blood vessels), or ultrasound
Sometimes, conventional angiography Angiography There are a variety of tests that can be used in the evaluation of a suspected kidney or urinary tract disorder. (See also Overview of the Urinary Tract.) X-rays are usually not helpful in evaluating... read more (injecting a special liquid called a contrast agent into your blood vessel, allowing doctors to see your blood vessels on an x-ray)
They'll also do blood and urine tests to see how well your kidneys are working.
How do doctors treat a blockage of the renal arteries?
Doctors do different treatments depending on what caused the blockage:
Blood clots: Blood thinners (anticoagulants) to prevent clots from getting bigger and new clots from forming
Narrowed arteries: Surgery or angioplasty How do doctors treat coronary artery disease? The heart is a muscle that pumps blood. Like all muscles, the heart needs a steady supply of blood to work. Blood that pumps through the heart doesn't feed the heart muscle. Instead the heart... read more
to open the artery
During angioplasty, doctors guide a thin tube through your groin to your blocked artery so they can widen it using a tiny balloon or a small wire tube called a stent.
If the blockage caused high blood pressure, doctors will give you high blood pressure medicine Medicine Each heart beat pushes blood through your arteries. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to your body. Blood pressure is the pressure of blood in your arteries. Without... read more .
If you have kidney failure, you may need dialysis Dialysis Dialysis is an artificial process for removing waste products and excess fluids from the body, a process that is needed when the kidneys are not functioning properly. There are a number of reasons... read more 
(a machine filters your blood when your kidneys aren’t able to do it).
