A simple analysis of urine allows preventing cardiovascular problems in treatment resistant hypertensive persons

-A study led from the Mar Hospital demonstrates that the measure of the excretion of albumin in urine, marker of risk and prognosis of cardiovascular pathology directly associated with high blood pressure, may demonstrate a poor control of blood pressure, specifically during the night.

-the study raises a system of early detection of vascular damageeffective, simple, fast, non-invasive and economic, based on an analysis of urine and indicating the needing to step up treatment and prevention measures to avoid serious complications and consequences to patients, as well as costs to the system.

Barcelona, July of 2011. The team of hypertension and Vascular risk Mar Hospital Unit has done a study published in the prestigious journal Hypertension where it determines are the most useful parameters for assessing the presence of organic lesion and disease risk serious associated with high blood pressure. The findings of the study point to the numbers of nocturnal systolic blood pressure in combination with the measure of the excretion of albumin in urine may be markers of risk and prognosis of disease directly associated with high blood pressure.

Arterial hypertension is a major health problem around the world. It is estimated that there are more than 360 million of hypertensive patients. And the problems of the poor control of these figures of blood pressure, such as cardiovascular disease, the stroke, etc., can pose serious health problems. To treat asymptomatic disease and often go unnoticed, the perception of risk or illness by those who often suffer from is non-existent.

Good control of blood pressure figures is essential to avoid associated organic injury. An intermediate step is called subclinical organic lesion occurs prior to the emergence of organic lesion (infarction myocardium, advanced renal failure, etc.). It is essential to detect this first step towards effective measures that prevent, mitigate or minimize the effects of the established target organ injury. A good marker for this subclinical lesion is the microalbuminuria is more common in patients with hypertension resistant to treatment (20 per cent of the total of the hypertensive). There are groups of patients who, apparently, have a good control of blood pressure and that are not as resistant, but also presented microalbuminuria. In these cases, it is important to an ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure in 24 h, because it could be that day they were well controlled but not at night.

The complete study to detect the presence of subclinical lesion associated with hypertension includes many tests, explains the DRA. Resistant Anna Oliveras, clinical service Chief of Nephrology at Hospital del Mar, responsible for the hypertension and Vascular risk unit and one of the coordinators of the national registry of hypertensive analytical, EKG, ultrasound of the heart of the carotid arteries, knowing the speed of the pulse wavethe presence of renal failure, etc. and, in practice, make a very extensive study, is not possible everywhere ”. To detect so effective, simple, fast, non-invasive and economic this subclinical lesion facilitates the early detection of vascular damage, indicating the need to intensify the treatment and prevention measures to avoid serious complications and sequelae in patients, as well as costs to the system.

This study, conducted with a sample of more than 350 resistant hypertensive patients, has been made possible by the national registry of hypertension resistant of Spain, in the framework of the Spanish society of Arterial hypertension and determined by measuring the excretion of urine with a simple analysis of urine albumin (to be confirmed in)(at least 2 determinations), try non-invasive and economically, can improve the assessment of the risk of the patient. This, together with the determination of its nocturnal systolic pressure can facilitate a better assessment of the real cardiovascular risk associated with hypertension.

Resistant hypertensive are approximately 20% of the total, if we have in mind that by the year 2025 is estimated that there will be 60% more than hypertensive patients that currently and the figures will be close to 360 million patients affected around the world, the impact of the consequences of hypertension are of enormous significance ”, explains the DRA. Oliveras and concrete in Spain, 30% of the population has high pressure and the figure is almost double when we talk about patients 65 years or more. to provide reliable and economic tools to show us what patients are at risk of suffering serious organic disease of the hypertension andTherefore, what patients have a poor prognosis, it is essential in order to establish appropriate measures to mitigate and prevent the serious consequences of hypertension ”.

On the unity of hypertension

The Nephrology service of the Hospital of the sea has one of the units of hypertension for greater career and more consolidated in the Spain where are all the possible diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. One of the major areas of study is resistant hypertension. The DRA. Oliveras, responsible for the unit, is also coordinating with other professionals, the national registry of resistant hypertension.