Vaskulárna medicína 1/2013

Renovascular hypertension in systemic vasculitides

Systemic vasculitides represent a heterogeneous group of disorders that can present with a broad clinical symptomatology. Arterial hypertension is an often accompanying manifestation of these disorders and depending on the size of vessels affected various types of hypertension may develop. Small vessel vasculitides can damage kidneys resulting in development of glomerulonephritis and renal parenchymal hypertension. Middle and giant vessel vasculitides (e.g. Takayasu´s arteritis, giant-cell arteritis, classic form of polyarteritis nodosa) can affect renal arteries leading to renovascular hypertension. Patients may be incorrectly treated as essential hypertension if the mentioned rare causes of arterial hypertension are not taken into consideration and appropriate examinations are not realised.

Keywords: renovascular hypertension, systemic vasculitides