Microalbuminuria in Hypertensive Patients Living in UAE and Its Relation to HS-CRP, Cholesterol Levels, and Body Mass Index

Background- Hypertension is associated with microalbuminuria. However, the true prevalence of microalbuminuria in patients with hypertension has not been yet defined and appears to be higher than expected, mostly in patients with poor blood pressure control. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) society is comprised of multinationals, and the prevalence of microalbuminuria in those patients can reflect the approximate prevalence all over the world.The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of microalbuminuria in hypertensive patients living in the UAE and to assess its correlation with other cardiovascular (CV) risk factors.Methods- Data on all hypertensive patients and normal controls were collected in NMC Hospital, Dubai, between 2008 and 2009. A single urine specimen was collected for the quantitative determination of albumin in human urine. Fasting venous blood was sampled for high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and lipid profile including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and low density lipoprotein (LDL).Results- A total of 86 patients with a mean age of 47.6 years with uncomplicated hypertension were studied, out of whom 68.6% were males. The prevalence of microalbuminuria was significantly higher (50.6%) in the hypertensive patients than in the controls (10.3%, p value=0.0001). No significant correlation was observed between microalbuminuria and systolic blood pressure (SBP, r= -0.153, p value=0.519), diastolic blood pressure (DBP, r= 0.116, p value=0.625), or body-mass index (BMI, r= 0.301, p value=0.119 or hs-CRP (r= 0.115, p value=0.472).Conclusions- Microalbuminuria is common in hypertensive patients, and as a result, these patients should be screened for microalbuminuria