Microalbuminuria in Stage 2 Hypertensive Patients with Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

Objective: Microalbuminuria (MA, albuminuria: 20 –200 μg min–1 Study Design: Descriptive Case series ) is associated with several cardiovascular risk factors including left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). The relationship, usually assumed to reflect an increased blood pressure (BP) load on the heart and the kidney. To evaluate this relation between MA and LVH, left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was deter-mined in stage 2 hypertensive patients with LVH. Setting and Duration of Study: Department of Me-dicine, King Edward Medical University, Mayo Hos-pital Lahore, from 1st April 2009 to 31st Methodology: Hundred cases of non diabetic patients with stage 2 hypertension and left ventricular hyperDepartment of Medicine, King Edward Medical University, Mayo Hospital, Lahore trophy visiting outdoor and indoor patients of East medical ward Mayo Hospital Lahore were registered. Microalbuminuria was detected using standardized dipstick technique (MICRAL, Roche, USA) and recor-ded in mg/dL. Left ventricular hypertrophy was deter-mined by measuring LVMI in gram/m^2 Results: Microalbuminuria was present in 65% of the hypertensive individuals with LVH. When the occur-rence of microalbuminuria was analyzed according to the different clinical parameters like age and gender and duration of hypertension, a significant correlation was found with age and duration of hypertension, but no significant relation was found with either gender. using GE Logic pro 500 echocardiography with color Doppler. All this information was collected through a specially designed proforma. Conclusion: There is high frequency of microalbumi-nuria in hypertensive individuals with left ventricular hypertrophy. This is associated with advanced age, duration of hypertension and degree of left ventricular hypertrophy. So microalbuminuria is an important pre-dictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy and should be checked routinely in all hypertensive patients, regardless of the presence of diabetes.