Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Hypertensive nephropathy overview
Introduction
Overview
Overview
- Hypertensive nephropathy is a chronic medical condition, characterized by kidney injury due to long-standing high blood pressure.
- It should be distinguished from “renovascular hypertension“, which is a type of secondary hypertension.
Pathophysiology
Pathophysiology
- In the kidneys, as a result of benign arterial hypertension, hyaline (pink, amorphous, homogeneous material) accumulates in the wall of small arteries and arterioles, leading to thickening of arterial walls and narrowing of the lumens — hyaline arteriolosclerosis. Consequently, tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis will occur.
- Glomerular alterations (smaller glomeruli with different degrees of hyalinization – from mild to severe glomerulosclerosis) and podocyte loss can increase the endothelial permeability and filtration of remaining glomerules, leading to microalbuminuria and development of CKD
- Some studies suggest a genetic component in the development of hypertensive nephropathy and nephrosclerosis.
Epidemiology and Demographics
Epidemiology and Demographics
- The incidence rate for hypertensive kidney disease has been increasing gradually over the past three decades.
- Annually, 25,000 new cases of CKD associated with hypertension, are diagnosed in the US.
- Hypertension is known as the second leading cause of ESRD.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
History and Symptoms
History and Symptoms
- Most of the patients with hypertensive nephropathy have no symptoms until kidney failure occurs.
References
References
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aarti Narayan, M.B.B.S [2]