Renal artery calcium independently associated with higher odds for prevalent hypertension
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Calcium is deposited around the lipid core in mature atherosclerotic plaque, and the extent of vascular calcification is a valid surrogate of total atherosclerotic plaque burden, the latter having been shown to be significantly associated with hypertension in the nonrenal systemic vasculature. In order to test the hypothesis that renal artery calcium (RAC), a candidate surrogate marker for preglomerular atherosclerosis, is also significantly associated with hypertension, 1435 consecutive patients at a disease prevention center were evaluated for the extent of calcified atherosclerosis in the systemic vasculature. The prevalence of calcium in either renal artery was 17.1%. After adjusting for age and gender, subjects with a RAC score >0 had a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension (P<0.01). Logistic model analysis adjusted for standard CVD risk factors and the extent of calcified atherosclerosis in nonrenal vasculature revealed that subjects with any RAC had a significantly higher odds ratio (1.61, P=0.01) for hypertension than those without RAC. These results confirm the hypothesis that renal artery calcium is independently associated with hypertension and suggest that subclinical atherosclerosis in the renal arteries may be linked to elevated blood pressure independently of renal artery stenosis.
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