Hypertension in black South Africans--new perspectives on old material.

Autopsy material was examined from cases diagnosed as malignant nephrosclerosis in the years 1956-1961, a period when adequate antihypertensive therapy had not yet become available, a second group of malignant nephrosclerosis from the years 1970-1980, an era during which effective antihypertensive therapy was available, and a third group of essential benign nephrosclerosis, once more from the early pretreatment period (1956-1961). The observations suggest that malignant and benign hypertension may be two different diseases. Further studies will be pursued to assess whether hypertensive renal changes seen in this study are a spectrum of one disease extending from malignant nephrosclerosis de novo presenting with acute renal failure or chronic renal failure to benign hypertensive nephrosclerosis.