Marker of kidney function could indicate high blood pressure risk
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Key takeaways:
- An elevated but normal-range urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio could indicate hypertension risk.
- The association was greater among adults with a low BMI.
A slightly elevated urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio that remains within the normal range is associated with an increased prevalence of hypertension in the U.S. general population, researchers reported.
“Given the negative effects of albuminuria on CVD and the ambiguity of intervention when individual urinary protein levels rise slightly in the normal range (< 30 mg/g), it is important to investigate the relationship between urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio and hypertension,” Yong Zhu, MM, of University‐Town Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China, and colleagues wrote in Clinical Cardiology. “Furthermore, fewer studies have examined the associations between urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio and hypertension and no relevant research has been conducted in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey population.”
Image: Adobe Stock
Zhu and colleagues analyzed data from 14,919 in the 2009-2018 NHANES. Researchers defined hypertension as mean systolic BP of 130 mm Hg or greater or a diastolic of 80 mm Hg or greater or reporting taking hypertension medications.
Researchers found that, for each 5 mg/g increment in urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), hypertension prevalence increased by 31% (OR = 1.31; 95% CI, 1.23-1.4).
Compared with participants in the lowest quartile for UACR, those in the highest quartile were more than twice as likely to have hypertension (OR = 2.25; 95% CI, 1.86-2.72).
In subgroup analyses stratified by BMI, researchers also found that, the lower the BMI, the stronger the association between hypertension prevalence and UACR (P for interactions = .012). Results persisted in analyses stratified by age, sex, smoking status, alcohol use, physical activity and diabetes status.
“Our results suggest that even within the normal range, subtly elevated UACR was associated with an increased prevalence of hypertension in the U.S. general population,” the researchers wrote. “For individuals with high UACR, closer monitoring of BP is highly recommended. However, whether UACR is a good predictor of hypertension, especially in populations with different BMI, needs further studies.”
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