Exploration of sonography-detectable features of hypertension in adult patients using transabdominal ultrasound in Isolo, Lagos State

Background: Hypertension is associated with renal and vascular abnormalities that may be visualised using transabdominal ultrasonography. This study investigated sonography-detectable abdominal features among adult hypertensive patients in Isolo, Lagos State. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study included 200 hypertensive adults attending General Hospital Isolo. Renal length, cortical thickness, echogenicity, portal vein diameter and abdominal aortic diameter were assessed. Findings were described by sex and duration of hypertension. Results: Participants had a mean age of 54.8 ± 10.6 years, and 54% were male. Mean hypertension duration was 7.3 ± 4.2 years. Reduced renal length (<9 cm) was recorded in 16%, cortical thinning (<6 mm) in 23%, increased renal echogenicity in 29%, and loss of corticomedullary differentiation in 17%. Mean abdominal aortic diameter was 2.4 ± 0.3 cm, with dilatation (>3 cm) reported in 19%. Portal vein diameter was ≤13 mm in 82.5% of participants. Longer hypertension duration was associated with cortical thinning and abdominal aortic dilatation, whereas portal vein enlargement did not show a comparable trend. Conclusion: Transabdominal ultrasound identified renal and vascular abnormalities in this hypertensive cohort. These findings support its potential role as an adjunct to clinical and biochemical assessment, although the cross-sectional design does not establish causality.