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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
Hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease
Ranjan Chanda1, Andrew Z Fenves
1Baylor University Medical Center, Nephrology Division, Dallas, TX 75246, USA.
Insights
Hypertension management in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients requires stringent blood pressure control, often needing multiple medications. This is crucial for preventing kidney failure and cardiovascular events, especially in high-risk populations.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Hypertension is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), significantly increasing risks for kidney function decline and cardiovascular complications.
- African Americans with hypertension and genetic predispositions face elevated risks for renal disease and end-stage renal failure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline optimal hypertension management strategies for patients with CKD, including those on dialysis and kidney transplant recipients.
- To emphasize the importance of stringent blood pressure control and specific therapeutic approaches for different CKD populations.
Main Methods:
- Review of current guidelines and evidence for hypertension management in various stages of kidney disease.
- Focus on achieving target blood pressure < 130/80 mm Hg through combination therapy, including renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade.
- Consideration of ambulatory BP monitoring and drug timing for dialysis patients; specific recommendations for transplant recipients and autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease.
Main Results:
- Stringent BP control (< 130/80 mm Hg) is essential for hypertensive CKD patients, often necessitating multi-drug regimens.
- Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors are key components for managing hypertension and proteinuria in CKD.
- Tailored approaches are needed for dialysis patients (ambulatory monitoring, long-acting drugs) and transplant recipients (similar BP targets, no drug class preference).
Conclusions:
- Effective hypertension management is critical for preserving kidney function and reducing cardiovascular risk in CKD patients.
- Therapeutic strategies must be individualized based on the patient's CKD status, including dialysis dependence and transplantation.
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors are recommended for hypertensive patients with autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease due to prominent diastolic dysfunction.
Abstract:
Hypertension is very common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD); it causes early loss of kidney function and accelerated cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. African American patients with hypertension and genetic disposition are at an even higher risk for renal disease and ultimately renal failure. Hypertensive patients with CKD should aim for stringent blood pressure (BP) control (target < 130/80 mm Hg) requiring more than one drug with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade as a component of therapy targeting both hyper-tension and proteinuria. Management of hypertension in the dialysis population should focus on ambulatory measurements of BP and the use of longer-acting antihypertensive drugs, with their dosage and timing adjusted according to their dialytic clearances. Hypertension is also common among kidney transplant recipients and contributes to graft loss and premature death. The target BP in transplant recipients is the same as in the CKD population, with no preference for one drug group over another. Unless contraindicated, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors remain the drugs of choice for hypertension in patients with autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease, in whom diastolic cardiac dysfunction is a prominent feature.
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