PAEA Surgery End Of Rotation (EOR) Practice Exam

What condition is most commonly caused by atherosclerosis and fibromuscular dysplasia?

1. Chronic kidney disease

2. Diabetic nephropathy

3. Renovascular hypertension

4. Acute kidney injury

The correct answer is: Renovascular hypertension

Renovascular hypertension is most commonly caused by atherosclerosis and fibromuscular dysplasia. Atherosclerosis typically affects older individuals and is a leading cause of renal artery stenosis, which can lead to increased blood pressure due to decreased renal perfusion. The kidneys then activate the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, resulting in further hypertension. Fibromuscular dysplasia frequently occurs in younger women and can cause renal artery stenosis as well. This condition leads to abnormal thickening and narrowing of the renal arteries, resulting in similar pathways of increased blood pressure from the kidney's hormonal response to perceived low blood flow. In both scenarios, the impaired blood flow to the kidneys triggers a compensatory increase in renin release, leading to sustained hypertension. While all the other options may relate to kidney pathology, they do not specifically align with the direct cause-and-effect relationship that atherosclerosis and fibromuscular dysplasia have with renovascular hypertension.