American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation
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To test the hypothesis that race is a predictor of hypertensive renal disease, we examined a general medicine clinic population of 6,880 hypertensive patients who were treated for at least 1 year (mean, 5.2 years). Their mean age was 55.8 years; 70% were women, 72% were black, and 41% were diabetic (95% type II). Many were already under treatment at the time of enrollment. ⋯ The data draw attention to and elucidate the exceptionally high incidence of renal dysfunction in blacks with or without diabetes. Further, they may explain the inordinate numbers of blacks with hypertension requiring dialysis. Finally, these retrospective data suggest that prospective trials to test the effect of blood pressure and glucose control on the course of renal disease in hypertensive and/or type II diabetic patients are warranted.