Prevalence of Microalbuminuria and Overt Proteinuria in Hypertension and Their Relations with Renal Function in a Rural Population of Bangladesh

Hypertension is the third leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Bangladesh. Microalbuminuria and overt proteinuria are the markers of the CKD. So detection of microalbuminuria and overt proteinuria in hypertensive subjects will help to identify the patient at risk of developing progressive renal impairment. This cross sectional study was carried out in a rural area of Bangladesh.1134 adult population (age between 18 and 65 years) were screened. A total of 217 (19.1%) were detected hypertensive; spot urine dipstick test was done among them. Those who where dipstick negative further studied for presence of microalbumin [ mg/L ]. Blood glucose level, serum creatinine, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were evaluated. A group of normotensive people (n=245) taken as comparison group. Microalbuminuria and overt proteinuria were present in 26.4% and 9.7% of the hypertensive subjects, respectively. Correlation between microalbuminuria and eGFR showed that two variables exhibited a tendency for negative relationship, although correlation was not statistically significant (P=0.186, r=-0.064). Overt proteinuric subjects showed no statistically significant deterioration of eGFR (81.6±21.1). Microalbuminuria and overt proteinuria are prevalent among the hypertensive rural Bangladeshi people. So early detection of microalbuminuria and overt proteinuria will help to prevent or delay the development of end stage renal disease. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjmed.v24i2.18700 Bangladesh J Medicine 2013; 24 : 59-64