To Estimate the Prevalence of Microalbuminuria and to Determine its Corelation with Left Ventricular Mass Index in Hypertensive Patients - A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Microalbuminuria (MA) is a sign of renal impairment that can predict cardiovascular disease independently. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a prelude to cardiac symptoms of target organ damage in hypertensive patients. Aim: This study aims to determine the relationship between left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and MA in hypertensive patients. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done from January 2020 to January 2021. In this study, 100 patients aged 18–60 years with hypertension were enrolled. MA was assessed by urine albumin creatinine ratio and LVMI was calculated by two-dimensional echocardiography using the Devereux and Reichek “cube” formula. Results: Mean age was 52.04 ± 9.96 years in study population with male: female of 0.96. The mean systolic blood pressure was 163.80 ± 18.13 mmHg and the mean diastolic blood pressure was 94.90 ± 8.93 mmHg with mean duration of hypertension being 2.49 ± 3.93 years. LVH was present in significant number of patients with MA as compared to those without MA (87.5% vs. 50%, P < 0.001). The LVH was independently associated with MA, albumin-creatinine ratio, and serum creatinine. Out of 77 patients with LVH, 49.4% had high LVMI with a P = 0.002 suggesting a significant correlation between LVH with LVMI. A significant correlation between raised LVMI and presence of MA was seen and the odds of having raised LVMI was 3.46 times in the presence of MA as compared to without MA. Interpretations and Conclusions: This study shows that MA and LVMI are independently correlated, and as a result, MA stands alone as a risk factor for higher cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.