Factors related to the presence of microalbuminuria in essential hypertension.

The objective of the present study was to assess factors related to the presence of microalbuminuria in essential hypertension. Ninety-five patients with essential hypertension (58 males and 37 females, mean age 38.6 +/- 6.1 years) who had never been treated previously for hypertension were included in the study. Patients with nephropathy or diabetes mellitus, hyperglycemia > 120 mg/dL, glomerular filtration rate < 80 mL/min/1.73 m2, urinary tract infection, or positive dipstick for albumin or glucose were excluded. Blood pressure, echocardiographically determined left ventricular mass, serum biochemistry, and lipid profile were obtained. Twenty-four-hour urinary albumin excretion (UAE) was measured on two separate days using an immunonephelometric assay. Microalbuminuria (UAE 30 to 300 mg/24 h) occurred in 26% of patients and was associated with higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and a higher prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia and hyperapolipoproteinemia B (apo-B). Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of microalbuminuria was independently related to diastolic blood pressure and hypertriglyceridemia when controlling for age, sex, body mass index, LVMI, and apo-B. Multiple regression analysis likewise confirmed that both DBP and LVMI were linearly related to UAE independent of age, sex, body mass index, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and apo-B. In conclusion, our study indicates that among hypertensive patients with elevated excretion rates of urinary albumin, even at the subclinical level, an increased cardiovascular risk exists compared to normoalbuminuric patients with a similar blood pressure. Assessment of the presence of microalbuminuria may be useful in the evaluation and management of hypertension.