Prevalence of arterial hypertension in patients with nephrolithiasis

Abstract

Background A most often reason of secondary hypertension are chronic parenchymal renal diseases (nephritogenic hypertension). Nephrolithiasis is a leading cause in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory processes in renal interstitial tissue. On the other hand, disturbances of calcium, potassium, magnesium or purine metabolism play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of both nephrolithiasis and hypertension. The present study aimed to answer the following questions: 1. What is the prevalance of hypertension in patients with nephrolithiasis? 2. Whether and to what extend patients with active or inactive renal stone disease differ with respect to the prevalence of arterial hypertension ? and 3. Whether and to what extend concomitant metabolic disorders influence prevalence of hypertension in these patients?
Methods 874 patients (M.: 392, F: 482, mean age 42,3 f 0,4 years, mean serum creatinine concentration 85,9± 1,6 µmol/l) with roentgenographic or ultrasonographic evidence of renal stones were enrolled to this study.
Results Arterial hypertension (according to the present WHO criteria) was found in 271 patients (31%). Active renal stone disease was found in 180 patients (=20,6% of all stone formers). 27,8% of active stone formers suffered from arterial hypertension. Prevalence of arterial hypertension in patients with inactive nephrolithiasis was 31,8%. Percentage of various metabolic disorders in normotensive patients was similar to that found in hypertensive ones with nephrolithiasis. Prevalence of hypertension in adult population in south-west part of Poland is 1 I%. Therefore patients with nephrolithiasis have a 2,8 times higher risk of arterial hypertension prevalence than in the general population.
Conclusions 1. Nephrolithiasis is an important risk factor of arterial hypertension. 2. Activity of urolithogenesis and a type of concomitant metabolic disturbances do not influence directly the prevalence of arterial hypertension in patients with nephrolithiasis.