Epidemiology of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis as a mirror of prospective trials

Diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) in the elderly is a never-ending challenge for every nephrologist. Kalra et al. report that adjusted hazard ratios for ARAS increased threefold from 1992 to 2004 in 16 million United States Renal Data System participants aged 66 years or older. However, numbers of revascularizations showed a biphasic pattern with a declining number since 1999. These exciting data have to be discussed with the knowledge of recent prospective trials