Renovasculopathies of nephrosclerosis in relation to atherosclerosis at ages 25 to 54 years.

Renovasculopathies of hypertension include arteriolar hyalinization and arterial intimal fibroplasia. Atherosclerotic features of coronary arteries and aorta include fatty streaks and raised lesions. Data were obtained from a series of 573 autopsies of black and Caucasian males and females aged 25 to 54 years, who died of violent and natural causes unrelated to atherosclerosis. Analysis showed positive correlations of coronary and aortic raised lesions with arteriolar hyalinization. Arterial intimal fibroplasia correlated positively with raised lesions in the aorta but only weakly and inconsistently in the coronary arteries. The extent of fatty streaks in the coronaries, as in the aorta, did not correlate with either form of renovasculopathy. These results provide evidence that hyalinization of renal arterioles may be a marker for young people who have the most advanced coronary atherosclerosis, and who therefore have an early start upon a course toward coronary heart disease later in life.