Hypertension-associated vascular disease

Hypertensive-associated vascular disease of the kidneys or hypertensive nephrosclerosis, rather than implying a linear direct relationship to renal damage induced by hypertension, may indicate complex environmental and genetic factors, which together promote the coexistence of renal lesion and hypertension in this clinical setting. We discuss morphologic findings of hypertension-associated vascular disease of the kidneys. We also discuss possible pathogenetic factors including hypertension, ethnicity, aberrant autoregulation, prothrombotic mechanisms, low birth weight, decreased nephron number, genetic factors, dysmetabolic syndrome, and macrophage polarization.