Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia, and Renal Damage

Experimental studies have demonstrated that a number of factors participate in the progression of renal disease. Systemic and glomerular hypertension have been shown to be critical factors in renal injury. Hyperlipidemia that frequently coexists with renal disease also has been suggested as an important participatory factor in nephron damage. Interestingly, both hypertension and hyperlipidemia seem to evoke glomerular growth, a factor that has also been postulated to be involved in glomerular and tubular destruction. Recently, experimental and clinical data suggest that an important interaction occurs between hyperlipidemia and hypertension. Not only do they frequently coexist, but hypertension dramatically exaggerates hyperlipidemic injury, and hyperlipidemia alters systemic and glomerular vascular production of vasoactive substances which maintain basal vascular tone. Thus, these recent observations underscore the interactive potential of the various risk factors that participate in progression of renal disease. They also suggest that multiple interventional strategies may be needed to optimally prevent progressive nephron loss.