Several Conventional Risk Markers Suggesting Presence of Albuminuria Are Weak Among Rural Africans With Hypertension

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate risk markers indicating the presence of albuminuria in patients with hypertension in rural sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Urine albumin-creatinine ratio, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), blood pressure, anthropometry, and other patient characteristics including medications were assessed. We identified 160 patients with hypertension, of whom 68 (42.5%) were co-diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM). Among the included participants, 57 (35.6%) had albuminuria (microalbuminuria [n=43] and macroalbuminuria [n=14]). A backward multivariate logistic regression model identified age (per 10-year increment) (odds ratio [OR], 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–1.95), HbA1c >53 compared with <48 mmol/mol (OR, 3.81; 95% CI, 1.74–8.35), and treatment with dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (OR, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.09–6.16) as the variables significantly associated with albuminuria. Only dysregulated DM and age were the conventional risk markers that seemed to suggest albuminuria among patients with hypertension in rural SSA.