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Optimal Medical Management in Patients with Renovascular Hypertension

  • Therapy in Practice
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Abstract

Renovascular hypertension refers to the rise of arterial pressure due to reduced perfusion of the kidney caused by the stenotic renal artery/ies. The most common cause of stenotic renal artery is atherosclerosis. Atherosclerotic renal stenosis is usually part of a systemic syndrome that involves hypertension, intrinsic renal damage, and cardiovascular morbidity. So far, large trials have not proven the superiority of interventional therapies to medical management. As a result, renal artery stenosis should be treated mainly as a coronary artery disease equivalent focusing on rigorous management of hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia. Antihypertensive treatment should include renin-angiotensin system blockade medication in most cases, while HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) can be used even in chronic kidney disease with safety. Lifestyle modifications, such as cessation of smoking, and antiplatelet therapy have reduced the risk of cardiovascular events in high-risk patients.

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Acknowledgments

The authors have no conflicts of interest that are relevant to this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nephrology, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

    Olga Balafa, Rigas Kalaitzidis & Kostas C. Siamopoulos

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Ioannina, 45110, Ioannina, Greece

    Kostas C. Siamopoulos

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  1. Olga Balafa
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  2. Rigas Kalaitzidis
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  3. Kostas C. Siamopoulos
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Correspondence to Olga Balafa.

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Balafa, O., Kalaitzidis, R. & Siamopoulos, K.C. Optimal Medical Management in Patients with Renovascular Hypertension. Am J Cardiovasc Drugs 13, 71–78 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40256-013-0011-x

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