RENAL FUNCTION AND RENAL DISORDERS IN PRIMARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION PATIENTS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS

Abstract

To assess the prevalence of renal disorders and renal dysfunction in patients with Stage I-III primary arterial hypertension, AH (n=1846; 837 men and 1009 women aged from 16 to 72 years), a clinical, biochemical, and instrumental examination was performed. It included urine assay, Nechiporenko and Zimnitsky urine tests, assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by endogenous creatinine clearance, measurement of microalbuminuria, blood levels of urea, creatinine and uric acid, renal and pelvic ultrasound, colour Doppler ultrasound of renal vessels, dynamic renal scintigraphy, static renal scintigraphy, excretory urography, and, if necessary, X-ray contrast angiography of renal vessels. Even in the patients from the youngest age group (16-39 years), there were signs of structural renal disorders and renal dysfunction (over 50% of the participants), congenital and acquired renal vessel or abdominal aorta pathology (20%), and disturbed nitrogen excretion rate (33%). In the patients aged 40-72 years, the prevalence of these disturbances was even higher. The nature of renal, uro-renal, and renovascular pathology was different across age groups of AH patients. In younger participants, congenital pathology and nephroptosis were much more prevalent than in patients aged over 40 years. On the other hand, older patients were characterised by high prevalence of pyelonephritis, renal cysts, hydronephrosis, abdominal and thoracic aorta deformation, atherosclerotic stenosis of additional renal arteries, nephroptosis (without co-existing obesity), nephrosclerosis and reduction in functioning renal parenchyma.

Keywords

• primary arterial hypertension
• diagnostics
• renal function
• pathological changes
• age