Abstract

Hypertension is a cause and consequence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present study investigated the patterns of renal impairment among hypertensive subjects in Umuahia, South East, Nigeria.  A cross-sectional study involving 262 subjects comprising equal number of hypertensive and non-hypertensive was used. Questionnaires were administered; medical, socio-demographic and anthropometric profiles were obtained. Blood samples were taken for creatinine determination and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated using the modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) equation. The GFR in hypertensive group was 87.4±30.2 ml/min/1.73 m² compared to 99.9 ±32.3 ml/min/1.73 m² in the non-hypertensive. In the hypertensive group, 30.5, 29.0 and 0.8% had mild, moderate and severe renal impairment respectively whereas in the non-hypertensive group, the values were 28.2, 14.5 and 0.8% respectively.  The prevalence of CKD in hypertensive subjects was 29.8% while that in the non-hypertensive was 15.3%.  55.6% of male hypertensive subjects had mild to moderate renal impairment compared to 23.5% in the non-hypertensive group; the difference between hypertensive and non-hypertensive in females was not statistically significant. More females had CKD than their male counterparts. Hypertension might have increased incidence of renal impairment and prevalence of CKD in Nigeria. This underscores the need for screening for CKD in the general population.

Key words: Essential hypertension, glomerular filtration rate, chronic kidney disease.