ABSTRACT
The prevalence of hypertension is reported to be about 29% in India. Proteinuria is often the earliest marker of hypertension mediated renal damage, occurring even before a reduction in glomerular filtration rate (GFR). It can also be used to predict risks of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality in general population. Thus monitoring proteinuria is a key aspect of assessing disease progression and treatment response in a variety of kidney diseases, including hypertensive renal damage. Target organ damage is common in microalbuminuric patients. They can have high left ventricular mass, a high prevalence of retinopathy , and an increased thickness and presence of plaques in the carotid artery. It is also interpreted as a marker of early intra renal vascular dysfunction in essential hypertension. Microalbuminuria is an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with essential hypertension. Microalbuminuria seems to constitute a simple and accurate method to detect a hypertensive patient at a high risk for cardiovascular and probably renal damage. The present study is comprised of 50 cases of essential hypertension. Microalbuminuria and Proteinuria was estimated. 27 patients i.e. 54% had microalbuminuria. Microalbuminuria had a positive correlation with severity of Hypertension with p value of 0.047 (< 0.05). Prevalence of microalbuminuria increases with the age and duration and severity of hypertension. Microalbuminuria had a statistically significant correlation with the presence and severity of target organ damage. Screening for microalbuminuria should be performed in hypertensives to start treatment early to minimize morbidity and mortality.