The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in children and adolescents with nephrogenic hypertension

Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAA) function was studied in children with secondary hypertension of 2 varieties: vasorenal hypertension (VRH) and arterial hypertension (AH) associated with chronic pyelonephritis. Children with VRH showed RAA activation that depended on the duration of the disease for its markedness. A direct correlation found between ABP, on the one hand, and plasma renin activity and blood aldosterone level, on the other, is evidence of the latter's involvement in VRH pathogenesis. In AH that is due to chronic pyelonephritis, RAA activation was also demonstrated, however, its pathogenetic involvement was only documented in children with urinary passage disorders (vesico-renal reflux), whereas in the rest RAA activation was not a primary cause of BP elevation.