Assessment of vascular involvement in hypertension.
Vascular disease in hypertension is of two types. Disease of arterioles and small arteries affects predominantly the kidney and brain, and is due directly to the hypertension itself. Atheroma mainly affects large and medium size arteries and hypertension is only one of several factors involved in its causation. Clinical evidence of small vessel disease includes retinopathy, proteinuria and lacunar cerebral infarction. Assessment of atheromatous disease usually involves angiography. The recent development of non-invasive techniques such as digital subtraction angiography and ultrasound imaging promises to improve the assessment of vascular disease.
D001160:Arterioles; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D012077:Renal Artery; D012161:Retinal Artery; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*