RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALBUMIN EXCRETION RATE, AMBULATORY BLOOD-PRESSURE AND LEFT-VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY IN MILD HYPERTENSION

Objective: To study the relationship of urinary albumin excretion to a mbulatory blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors in bord erline to mild hypertension. Patients and methods: We studied 779 pati ents with borderline to mild hypertension (mean+/-SEM age 33+/-0.3 yea rs; mean+/-SEM office blood pressure 146+/-0.4/94+/-0.2 mmHg) at 17 hy pertension clinics in northeast Italy. Office and 24-h blood pressures were recorded with simultaneous urine collection for albumin measurem ent. In 510 subjects, left ventricular mass was measured by echocardio graphy. Results: Subjects with overt (greater than or equal to 30mg/24 h) and borderline (16-29 mg/24 h) microalbuminuria had similar 24-h b lood pressure levels, higher than those in the subjects without microa lbuminuria. In the univariate and multiple regression analyses the alb umin excretion rate was closely correlated with 24-h systolic blood pr essure and not related to age, body mass index, metabolic parameters, lifestyle factors and degree of left ventricular hypertrophy. Conclusi ons: Borderline values of urinary albumin excretion (16-29 mg/24 h) ma y be clinically relevant in subjects with borderline to mild hypertens ion. Renal and cardiac damage do not develop in parallel in the initia l phases of hypertension.