title: Clinical usefulness of a timed overnight (8 hours) Urine Albumin (microalbumin) excretion in monitor-ing treatment in benign essential hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This research aims to establish the usefulness of timed over- night (8 hours) Urine Albumin(microalbumin) Excretion (UAE), in monitoring therapy in Nigerian patients with benign essential hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population comprised 40 normotensives/controls, (23 males and 17 females) aged between 20-70 years, with a mean blood pressure 116/75mmHg, 30 well-controlled hypertensive patients, diastolic BP <100mmHg or MAP (mean arterial pressure) = 110mmHg and 30 poorly controlled hypertensive patients, diastolic blood pressure > 100mmHg or MAP >110mmHg.Urine albumin(microalbumin) was determined on the 8 hours overnight urine samples by ELISA method using kit from Randox Laboratories Limited, N.Ireland Cat No. MA 1410. UAE was calculated from the urine albumin concentration, urine volume and collection time. The intra assay precision was determined by running 20 replicates of two kit controls in a single batch. The coefficient of variation was 6.6% at 10.70mg/L and 4.3% at 51.20mg/L.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average UAE in the three groups were as follows: 12:22 +/-4.65ug/ min, 21.50 +/- 10.5ug/min and 30.10 +/- 24.25 ug/min in the control, well controlled and poorly controlled groups respectively, 12.5% of normotensive subjects, 40% of well controlled and 56.7% of poorly controlled patients were found to have microalbuminuria.The UAE increased significantly with the severity of hypertension (r = 0.32, p<0.001 for control) r = 0.38, p<00.05 for controlled and r = 0.49 p<0.05 for poorly controlled.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A timed overnight (8 hours) Urinary UAE is a preferred alternative to cumbersome 24 hours urine collection for monitoring response to treatment in Nigerian patients with benign essential hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University Hospital Southampton, MP6, Level D, South Block, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: I O
authors.initials: IO
authors.lastname: Oluwatowoju
authors.forename: J N A
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Ajuluchukwu
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Afonja
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D000075222:Essential Hypertension; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents