Microalbuminuria in Non-diabetic Hypertensive Individuals: A Cross Sectional Observation in Dhaka Medical College Hospital

The study was conducted to assess the prevalence of microalbuminuria in non-diabetic hypertensive individuals with or without antihypertensive medication(s), attending medicine outpatient department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Non-diabetic hypertensive individuals without a history of pre-existing kidney diseases participated in this cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was used for collecting information on demographics, life style and family history of cardiovascular and kidney disease. Spot morning urine samples were collected for albumin estimation. Albuminuria thresholds were evaluated and defined using albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR). A total of 500 non-diabetic hypertensive individuals (310 males, 190 females) aged 52.25+/-7.99 years were enrolled in this study. After excluding 08 persons with macroalbuminuria, microalbuminuria was found in 51 cases (10.37%) [7.68%-13.06%].The prevalence was higher in females than males, ie 11.89% [7.23%- 16.55%] and 9.45% [6.18%-12.72%] respectively. There was no statistical significant difference between the sex groups. Duration of blood pressure showed statistical significant association with the occurrence of microalbuminuria. This suggests that, in Bangladeshi hypertensive individuals microalbuminuria is not uncommon. Further prospective studies with large sample size in different areas of the country are needed to confirm the prevalence of microalbuminuria in such individuals. The causative factors as well as prognostic value of the occurrence of microalbuminuria in this population remain to be determined in prospective cohort studies.