Antihypertensive medications and renal disease

Patients with ESRD are likely to have hypertension as a comorbid condition. The management of hypertension must involve nonpharmacologic as well as pharmacologic treatment. In most cases, nonpharmacologic treatment, including severe sodium restriction, smoking cessation, elimination of alcohol intake, and weight reduction, can significantly lower blood pressure in the ESRD patient. If these methods remain insufficient, then a variety of pharmacologic treatment options exist, with ACE inhibitors and diuretics being the most common medical agents employed. Treating hypertension in this patient population, while extremely challenging, greatly reduces the risk of developing cardiac disease, thereby, reducing the risk of mortality.