title: The prevalence and risk factors of microalbuminuria in hypertensive patients under current medical treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A link between urinary albumin excretion and an increased incidence of cardiovascular mortality has already been demonstrated. However, the reported prevalence of microalbuminuria (MAU) in patients with hypertension is highly variable. We therefore aimed to conduct a cross-sectional multicenter study to investigate the prevalence of urinary albumin excretion in treated hypertensive patients in our current practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1,258 hypertensive patients were enrolled in this study. Patients with macroalbuminuria were excluded. The concentrations of urinary microalbumin and creatinine were measured. Urinary albumin excretion was expressed as the ratio of albumin to creatinine excretion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 130.9±12.7 mmHg and 74.7±8.9 mmHg, respectively. The overall prevalence of MAU was 42.8%, and it was observed in 35.8% of patients treated with a single medication. Patients with polyvascular disease exhibited a higher prevalence of MAU compared with patients with monovascular disease. The factors related to the presence of MAU included the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), systolic blood pressure, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level (odds ratios [ORs] of 0.988, 1.026, and 1.371, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study showed that the prevalence of MAU among hypertensive patients was 42.8%, even in patients whose blood pressure was relatively well controlled. Additionally, the eGFR, systolic blood pressure, and HbA1c level are risk factors for the development of MAU. These findings suggest that a substantial number of hypertensive patients have MAU and highlight the importance of strictly controlling these factors to improve patient prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Toho University, Ohashi Medical Center, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kougami
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimokawa
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Rintaro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Ryoichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirahata
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoshi
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D003404:Creatinine; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin