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Medical Author:

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Dr. Nabili received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. He then completed his graduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His graduate training included a specialized fellowship in public health where his research focused on environmental health and health-care delivery and management.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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In this Article

• What are the renal arteries?
• What is renal artery stenosis?
• What are the causes of renal artery stenosis?
• How common is renal artery stenosis?
• What are the symptoms of renal artery stenosis?
• What problems does renal artery stenosis cause?
• Who should be screened for renal artery stenosis?
• How is renal artery stenosis diagnosed?
• What are the common imaging tests to evaluate renal artery stenosis?
• What functional tests are used for the diagnosis of renal artery stenosis?
• What are medical treatments for renal artery stenosis?
• What surgical procedures are available for renal artery stenosis?
• Which patients can benefit from surgical procedures for renal artery stenosis?
• Renal Artery Stenosis At A Glance
• Patient Comments: Renal Artery Stenosis - Cause
• Patient Comments: Renal Artery Stenosis - Diagnosis
• Find a local Nephrologist in your town
• Renal Artery Stenosis Index

The majority of renal artery stenosis is caused by atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of blood vessel wall from the inside) similar to the process that occurs in blood vessels in the heart and other parts of the body.

Risk factors for atherosclerosis include:

• high cholesterol levels
  
  
• high blood pressure
  
  
• age
  
  
• cigarette smoking
  
  
• diabetes

Less common causes of renal artery stenosis are fibromuscular dysplasia of the vessels (narrowing of the vessel due to internal thickening of the blood vessel wall), arteritis (inflammation of the blood vessel), or dissection (tearing and division of the blood vessel wall).

Narrowing of the kidney arteries is more common in individuals 50 years of age and older. It is estimated that some degree of narrowing (greater than 50%) is found in about 18% of adults between 65-75 years of age and 42% of those older than 75 years of age. This may be due to the fact that atherosclerosis is more common in this age group.

In younger patients, the narrowing of the renal artery usually is due to the thickening of the artery (fibromuscular dysplasia) and it is more common in women than men.

It is estimated that renal artery stenosis accounts for approximately 1% of mild to moderate cases of high blood pressure. It may be responsible for more than 10% of cases of severely elevated or difficult to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).