Chronic Kidney Disease and Hypertension

Hypertension can cause kidney disease and kidney disease can cause hypertension. However, hypertension may cause progressive kidney disease only in genetically susceptible individuals. The second most common cause of end-stage renal disease continues to be hypertension. Increased blood pressure participates in the pathogenesis of renal disease and the kidney is crucial in the long-term regulation of blood pressure. The development of hypertension and kidney damage is well-documented in many well-characterized animal models of hypertension. Attenuating the development and severity of hypertension prevents the development of end-organ damage. Hypertensive nephrosclerosis is a non-specific clinical diagnosis given to patients with chronic kidney disease, low-level proteinuria, and elevated blood pressure. Arterionephrosclerosis has been suggested as the clinical diagnosis of patients with chronic kidney disease and elevated blood pressure in the absence of diabetes or known genetic cause. In patients with a known genetic cause, the term glomerulosclerosis, preceded by the genetic cause, should used, for instance, APOL1-associated glomerulosclerosis, GSTM1-associated glomerulosclerosis. Increased sodium intake, inflammation, and oxidative stress are interrelated and important in the pathogenesis of hypertension and kidney disease. It is likely that hypertension and kidney disease may share the same causes.