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  • Special Issue: Current evidence and perspectives for hypertension management in Asia
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Characteristics of Asian patients with Fibromuscular Dysplasia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Hypertension Research volume 48, pages 2184–2196 (2025)Cite this article

Abstract

A significant knowledge gap exists regarding characteristics of fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) in Asian patients compared to Caucasian populations. This meta-analysis evaluated FMD characteristics in Asia (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024596516). PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, VIP, CNKI, and Wanfang databases were searched for observational studies after January 1, 2000, focusing on FMD in Asian populations. Twenty-four studies including 1254 Asian participants (1059 Chinese, 134 Japanese, and 61 others) were analyzed. Among Asian FMD patients, 59.0% (95% CI: 54.3–63.5%) were women, and mean age at FMD diagnosis was 28.6 years (26.7–30.6 years). Multifocal FMD was diagnosed in 38.4% (28.5–48.8%) of participants, and multivessel FMD in 12.7% (4.6–23.6%). Aneurysms and dissections were reported in 13.5% (7.8–20.4%) and 9.0% (1.8–19.9%) of participants, respectively. 99.9% (98.6–100.0%) of patients were hypertensive, 7.6% (5.3–10.2%) had a history of stroke and 40.3% (22.2–59.8%) reported headache. Bilateral renal artery involvement was documented in 17.9% (13.5–22.6%) of participants, and renal atrophy in 29.9% (24.4–35.6%). Compared with Japanese patients, Chinese patients were younger (26.2 vs. 36.2 years, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the proportion of women (59.4% vs. 64.3%, P = 0.334), and multifocal FMD (33.4% vs. 51.6%, P = 0.085) tended to be lower in Chinese versus Japanese patients. In conclusion, compared to published data in Caucasian patients, Asian FMD patients were younger, more often men, with focal FMD, and had lower rates of multivessel involvement, aneurysms, and dissections. Similar trends were found both in Chinese and Japanese patients.

Our meta-analysis showed that compared to published data in Caucasian patients, Asian patients with FMD were younger, more often men, with focal FMD, and had lower rates of multivessel involvement, aneurysms, and dissections. Similar trends were found both in Chinese and Japanese patients.

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Data availability

Additional data available from the corresponding author at alexandre.persu@saintluc.uclouvain.be.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Zhiling Ma (the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University) and Prof. Zhen Li (the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University) for kindly providing additional data that were helpful for this study. Dr. Weiwei Wang is supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) for his PhD at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCLouvain). Prof. Alexandre Persu is Clinicien-Chercheur spécialiste qualifié of Fonds de Recherche Clinique of UCLouvain, Belgium.

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Maria Simona Stoenoiu, Alexandre Persu.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

    Weiwei Wang, Anne-Catherine Pouleur, David Vancraeynest & Alexandre Persu

  2. Department of Urology, 302 Hospital of China Guizhou Aviation Industry Group, Anshun, Guizhou, China

    Weiwei Wang

  3. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Hypertension, Department of Hypertension, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

    Jianzhong Xu & Jiguang Wang

  4. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan

    Tomotaka Fujimoto & Kan Zen

  5. Pole of Cardiovascular Research, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

    Anne-Catherine Pouleur, David Vancraeynest & Alexandre Persu

  6. Department of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

    Maria Simona Stoenoiu

  7. Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

    Maria Simona Stoenoiu

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Contributions

AP conceived the study and designed the protocol. WW, KZ, and TF performed the literature search. WW, MSS and AP selected the studies and extracted the relevant information. WW synthesized the data. WW wrote the first draft of the paper. MSS and AP are the study guarantors. All authors critically revised successive drafts of the paper and approved the final version. The corresponding author attests that all listed authors meet authorship criteria and that no others meeting the criteria have been omitted.

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Correspondence to Alexandre Persu.

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Wang, W., Xu, J., Fujimoto, T. et al. Characteristics of Asian patients with Fibromuscular Dysplasia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hypertens Res 48, 2184–2196 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-025-02248-2

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