A Study of Microalbuminuria in Essential Hypertension and Its Correlation With the Target Organ Damage

Abstract

Hypertension is one of the most common disease afflicting humans throughout the world. Target organ damage resulting from hypertension includes those affecting the brain, heart, kidneys and the eyes. Focal neurological deficits, dyspnoea, chest pain, headache, loss of vision are considered as the commonest symptoms with which patients having hypertension related acute target organ damage present. OBJECTIVESTo assess the prevalence of micro-albuminuria among the non-diabetic hypertensive patients and to assess the relationship between micro-albuminuria and target organ damage. MATERIALS AND METHODSA cross-sectional study was conducted in 100 hypertensive patients microalbuminuria was measured in these patients by micral dipstick method. Chi-square test was used to study the relationship between microalbuminuria and other variables. P value was calculated for all the variables. RESULTSThe prevalence of microalbuminuria was 23% among the non-diabetic hypertensive patients. A positive correlation between microalbuminuria and target organ damage was found in these patients. The odds ratio for microalbuminuric patients having retinopathy was 8.3% (95% confidence interval 2.4-37.5). Prevalence of microalbuminuria was higher among patients with Cerebrovascular Accidents (P < 0.001) with the odds ratio of 15.3 (95% confidence interval 4.9-47.5) and it was observed that there was significant correlation between the prevalence of microalbuminuria and the presence of LVH (P <0.001) with the odds ratio of 10.4 (95% confidence interval 3.52-30.8) in hypertensive patients. CONCLUSIONMicroalbuminuria had a statistically significant correlation with the target organ damage. Extensive screening for microalbuminuria is required in hypertensive subjects to assess the cardiovascular risk.