Synonyms in the broadest sense
renal artery stenosis, renovascular hypertension, renal artery stenosis, atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis, fibromuscular renal artery stenosis
Definition
The vessels of the kidneys or only one kidney are affected by a pathological process in patients with renal artery stenosis (narrowing of the renal arteries). More precisely, a narrowing of the renal artery is present, which in 80% of cases is caused by arteriosclerosis of the aorta and the renal artery that comes out of it. This mostly affects older people who smoke. The other 20% of patients with renal artery narrowing, preferably women, have a congenital narrowing of the renal artery caused by a particularly pronounced vascular wall muscle and connective tissue structure of the vessel. Renal artery stenosis is often accompanied by high blood pressure.
Forms of renal artery stenosis
In the case of renal artery stenosis caused by arteriosclerosis, one speaks of arteriosclerotic renal artery stenosis. Characteristic for this form is that above all humans in the higher age fall ill. The second form is fibromuscular renal artery stenosis, in which the vessel wall of the renal artery is thickened and thus constricts the vessel opening. It is mainly younger patients who suffer from this form.
- Abdominal artery (aorta abdominalis)
- Upper intestinal artery (Arteria mesenterica superior)
- Kidney
- Renal artery (Ateria renalis)
- Ovarian veinTesticle vein (ovaricatesticular vein)
- Ovarian arteryTesticular artery (Arteria ovaricatesticularis)
- Renal vein (Vena renalis)
- Inferior vena cava (vena cava)
Occurrence in the population
This vasoconstriction of the kidney is the cause of high blood pressure in 1-5% of all cases.
Symptoms
The disease can proceed without symptoms. In many cases, however, it comes to so-called renovascular hypertension, i.e. high blood pressure caused by kidney disease. “Renovascular” means that the vessels of the kidneys are affected by a pathological process. Since the blood supply to the kidneys can be reduced by the narrowed vessels, a kidney dysfunction is possible. Furthermore, an isolated increase in the second, diastolic blood pressure value can occur.
