Renovascular hypertension

In the vast population of patients with established hypertension, there is a small group in whom the blood pressure elevation is caused by renal ischemia. These patients have renovascular hypertension, which can presently be diagnosed with greater precision than in the past. The exact prevalence of renovascular hypertension is not known and the diagnosis is probably missed in many patients. It is important to recognize this condition in clinical practice, because it is a correctable form of secondary hypertension and because it is a reversible cause of renal failure in some patients. Clinical identification of patients with renovascular hypertension has been so imprecise and complex that the very diagnostic quest for this condition has been questioned. However, it is well recognized that renovascular disease is a progressive disorder with serious sequelae if appropriate therapy is not rendered.