A research team from the Medical University of Vienna has investigated structural changes in kidneys of patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. The results show that high blood pressure can lead to abnormalities in the podocytes, specialized cells in the renal filter, even without other pre-existing conditions such as diabetes. The results, published in the journal “Hypertension”, underline the importance of early detection and consistent treatment of high blood pressure in order to prevent kidney damage.
To arrive at these results, the research team, led by Christopher Paschen and Rainer Oberbauer (Clinical Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Department of Medicine III) and Heinz Regele (Clinical Department of Pathology), analyzed kidney tissue from a total of 99 patients: who either suffered…