[Hypertensive nephropathy: pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment].

Chronic hypertension leads to renal damage known as hypertensive nephropathy or hypertensive nephrosclerosis. Presently, this renal pathology seems to be one of the most frequent causes of end-stage renal disease requiring chronic dialysis. Unfortunately there are many problems with clinical diagnosis of hypertensive nephropathy which cause overestimation of its prevalence. Renal biopsy and morphological examination which is the gold standard of diagnosis is rarely performed in such patients. Histological lesions in hypertensive nephropathy are well recognised: myointimal hyperplasia of arterioles, hyaline arteriosclerosis, wrinkling of basement membrane, collapse of the glomerular tuft, glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial involvement. These changes are believed to result from ischaemia and hyperfiltration. Genetic susceptibility and enhanced apoptosis could be involved in this process as well. One could hope that adequate treatment of hypertension according to international standards would allow to reduce the still increasing number of patients with hypertensive nephropathy. Pathogenesis, epidemiology, and clinical management of hypertensive nephropathy are currently discussed in this brief review.