A Clinical Study of Prevalence of Microalbuminuria in Patients of Primary Hypertension and its Correlation with Left Ventricular Mass Index.

Introduction: Hypertension is one of the most challenging health problems in the world. Hypertension is closely related to kidney diseases. Microalbuminuria is a reflection of early kidney dysfunction and a marker of asymptomatic preclinical disease which precedes and predicts the occurrence of major morbid events. Aims and objectives: To investigate the relationship between microalbuminuria and LVH in patients with primary hypertension. To establish microalbuminuria as an independent risk factor for increased Left Ventricular Mass Index in patients with Primary Hypertension. Methods: This was a cross-sectional prevalence, analytical study conducted for a period of two years in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Western India. 126 patients diagnosed as primary hypertension, according to JNC 7 criteria were included in the study. Left ventricular Mass Index was measured using 2 D Echo Machine using the formula of Left ventricular mass. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to find out independent correlation of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy. Results: Mean age was 64.32 years in patients without LVH while it was 63.85 years in patients with LVH. Serum creatinine, albumin-creatinine ration and Microalbuminuria were independently correlated with the Left Ventricular hyper trophy. Multiple logistic regression concluded that presence of microalbuminuria increases risk of LVH 2.04 times more as compared to absence of microalbuminuria. Serum creatinine level was higher in patients with LVH compare to patients without LVH. patients with Microalbuminuria were higher in LVH group compare to non LVH group and this difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that microalbuminuria has an independent correlation with Left Ventricular Mass Index and hence an independent risk factor for increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.