Although hypertension affects nearly one billion individuals worldwide and is widely recognized as a major determinant of cardiovascular risk, the underlying mechanisms that contribute to its onset remain to be elucidated. Moreover, even though the role of the kidney in the pathogenesis of arterial hypertension is known, the methods to both characterize and manage the consequences of arterial hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease are incompletely understood.
In this issue of the series Hot Topics in Hypertension, JA García-Donaire, J Segura, and LM Ruilope provide an updated and comprehensive presentation of the connection between the kidney and arterial hypertension from their many hours of experience in the field of clinical research in arterial hypertension. The presentation is divided into four sections and represents one of the most complete and in-depth state-of-the art articles on the topic to date.
Great efforts have been made to provide an updated presentation of the most recent trials on the impact of pharmacological therapy on renal outcomes of patients with hypertension. A final analysis of the benefits of antihypertensive treatment in terms of renal protection is presented, thus reinforcing the notion that blood pressure control is one of the main steps for protecting not only the heart but also the kidney of patients with impaired renal function.
Taking into account both the quality of the presentation and the structure of this clinical revision, and in light of the outstanding reputation of Ruilope and his group in this setting, it is a great pleasure for me to present this work to physicians and consultants involved in the difficult task of managing arterial hypertension, particularly in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease.