Abstract
Introduction: Hypertension is a common disease affecting about 20% of the adult population. Although a great deal is known about the regulation of blood pressure, a specific causal abnormality can be found in only a small percentage of patients.
Aims and objectives: The main objective of the study is to assess the frequency of primary hyperaldosteronism in young hypertensives.
Material and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in University of Management and Technology, School of Health Sciences Lahore during December 2017 to September 2018. The data was collected from 100 hypertensive patients. They were considered hypertensives if their diastolic blood pressure was more than 90 mm Hg and the systolic blood pressure more than 140 mm Hg on at least 3 occasions on different days and without taking any antihypertensive medication or estrogen replacement.
Results: The data were collected from 100 patients. The mean age of hypertensive patients was 54.1 +/- 11.2 years and normotensive patients were 52.5 +/- 7.3. There were no significant differences in medical history, blood pressure, or measured biochemical variables between patients with a positive or negative fludrocortisone suppression test. The hypertensive patients showed higher levels of SA and SA/PRA ratio than the normotensives. The levels of urinary sodium excretion were similar in hypertensives and normotensives.
Conclusion: It is concluded that the ARR could be used as a screening tool for PA in newly diagnosed patients with hypertension, although the possibility to diagnose patients can be expected to be higher in selected patient groups.