Microalbuminuria and Essential Hypertension: A Critical Evaluation

Background: Recent advancements in diagnostic modalities for microalbuminuria have shown that urinaryexcretion of albumin is more in hypertensive patients as compared to subjects with normal blood pressure.Microalbuminuria is known to be associated with certain complications like dyslipidemia, cardiac complications,atherosclerosis and kidney disease. Purpose: To analyze the prevalence of microalbuminuria and its clinicalcorrelation with essential hypertension. Material and Methods: The study was of cross-sectional design,which was carried out in outpatient and inpatient departments of Medicine in DY Patil Medical School andHospital, Nerul, Navi Mumbai. Results: Out of total 190 study participants 96 were normotensive controls,while 94 were hypertensive patients. Mean age in control group was 48 ± 9.4 years, while that in hypertensivegroup, it was 49.2 ± 10.2 years. The 24 hours mean urinary excretion of albumin in hypertensive patients withmicroalbuminuria was found to be 80.21, while it was 12.91 and 7.89 in hypertensive patients withoutmicroalbuminuria and control groups, respectively. Conclusion: Early screening to detect microalbuminuriain early stages will help to initiate appropriate treatment regimen and prevent the risk of complications and thusimprovement in prognosis.