A Study on Microalbuminuria amongst Hypertensive Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital of Tripura, North East Region

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is regarded as a silent killer and if not diagnosed earlier and treated properly, it can cause many complications. Hypertensive nephropathy or renal disease occurs as a result of uncontrolled high blood pressure. Microalbuminuria is the earliest marker of hypertensive nephropathy. Microalbuminuria is associated with certain complications like cardiac complications and kidney disease. Recent advancements in diagnostic modalities for microalbuminuria have shown that urinary excretion of albumin is more in hypertensive patients as compared to subjects with normal blood pressure. Aim: To assess the Microalbuminuria amongst hypertensive patients attending at a Tertiary Care Hospital of Tripura. Materials and method: In this cross-sectional study total 120 hypertensive patients were enrolled attending at the Medicine OPD of the AGMC & GBP Hospital, Agartala, Tripura. Result: Microalbuminuria was found among 38% of the study population. Frequency of Microalbuminuria was increased with the increasing in age, duration and severity of hypertension. Microalbuminuria starts appearing well before the elevation of serum creatinine. Conclusion: Early screening to detect microalbuminuria in early stages will help to initiate appropriate treatment regimen to arrest kidney damage and prevent the risk of complications and thus improvement in prognosis.