[Management of renal hypertension]

Assessment of every hypertensive patient must include the search for kidney disease, i.e. elevated serum creatinine and proteinuria. Antihypertensive therapy may attenuate both the risk of progression toward renal failure and the cardiovascular risk associated with chronic kidney disease, albeit the cause or the consequence of hypertension. Any alteration in renal function will promote salt-sensitivity of blood pressure and increase the deleterious effects of salt intake on target organ damage. The goal of antihypertensive therapy in patients with chronic kidney disease is first to reduce systolic blood pressure below 130 mmHg. The second goal is to lower urinary protein excretion to less than 0.5 g per day. The presence of proteinuria calls for blockers of the renin-angiotensin system among antihypertensive drugs. Global risk management (i.e. fighting tobacco, obesity, dyslipemia) will reduce the renal as well as the cardiovascular risk.