Objective: To investigate the prevalence of microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients with hypertension.
Method: Urinary albumin excretion was measured in 55 diabetic patients with hypertension by colorimetric methods using commercially available test strips of Nephur 7 and Micro-II, the latter test strips employed only when the former yielded negative results for proteinuria. The height, body weight, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured for all the patients with also biochemical examination for serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood glucose and creatinine. HbA1c was determined by Bio-STAT.
Results: The rates of normal urinary albumin, micro- and macroalbuminuria were 66.67%, 22.22% and 11.11% in these patients, respectively. In patients with a history of diabetes for more than 10 years, the rates were 58.33%, 8.33% and 33.33%, respectively.
Conclusion: Nearly 1/3 of type 2 diabetic patients with hypertension have microalbuminuria and proteinuria, and screening for microalbuminuria and proper interventions in these patients might prove beneficial.