Hypertension, Cardiology, Primary Health and Patient Care

Hypertension & Nephrology

Renal hypertension is the elevated blood pressure caused by nephrosis. Also known as Reno vascular high blood pressure, it's a syndrome that consists of high pressure caused by the kidneys' secretion response to narrowing of the arteries activity in the kidneys. The condition is called renal artery stenosis. The narrowing in one or both renal arteries is most often caused by atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries. This process leads to many heart attacks and strokes. Fibromuscular dysplasia is a less common cause for the narrowing of the arteries. In this condition, the structure of the renal arteries grows abnormally for uncertain reasons. The vast majority of individuals affected with renal hypertension never experience these symptoms. Because there are no symptoms, organ damage can occur slowly without being recognized resulting to chronic kidney disease. It is termed as a slow decline in kidney function. Chronic kidney disease also shows no sign or symptoms unless it is well advanced. Doctors may suspect for renal hypertension when someone has uncontrolled high blood pressure despite multiple medications or has unexplained chronic kidney disease as there are usually no clear symptoms. Medications are generally used to try to control high blood pressure in renal hypertension. The most important blood pressure medications in renal hypertension treatment include ACE inhibitors and ARBs. In most individuals, medications can effectively control blood pressure for renal hypertension due to renal artery narrowing. However, more than one blood pressure drug is often needed. But in some cases, even taking three or more medications every day may not sufficiently control blood pressure. A procedure to improve blood flow to the kidneys may help in this kind of situations. Procedures include Angioplasty, Stenting and Surgery. Surgery is the most effective at correcting renal hypertension and it is considered only when angioplasty and stenting are not possible. Procedures are more effective to treat renal hypertension when only one kidney's artery is narrowed rather than both. In this session we are focusing on the causes and symptoms of reno-vascular hypertension, alongside of its pathological process, diagnosis and treatment.