Hypertension and Renal Arteriosclerosis 1999.4.9

Hypertension and Renal Arteriosclerosis 1999.4.9

Twenty percent of adults in China suffer from hypertension, which means there are approximately 90 million hypertensive patients in the country. According to preliminary surveys, only 12% of these patients receive treatment, and among them, only 3% have their blood pressure effectively controlled. Previously, complications of hypertension were considered to include cerebrovascular accidents, coronary heart disease, renal arteriosclerosis, and hypertensive heart disease. In recent years, due to advances in drug therapy, the incidence of cerebrovascular accidents has decreased accordingly, while the incidence of renal arteriosclerosis has increased significantly, whereas the incidence of coronary heart disease has remained stable. The earliest clinical manifestation of renal arteriosclerosis is proteinuria, with urinary protein levels ranging from + to ++++, initially presenting as ± to +. After remaining relatively stable at this level for a period of time, the condition may suddenly worsen upon exposure to triggering factors. Generally, a urinary protein level exceeding 150 mg/d is considered the simplest criterion for diagnosing renal arteriosclerosis. Additionally, it is also necessary to test for microalbuminuria and β2-microglobulin.